Charlize is an Afrikaans feminine form of Charles, from the Germanic karl, "free man", and it reached American parents almost entirely through the South African actress Charlize Theron. Her Academy Award for Monster in early 2004 lifted the name into the US top 1000 that very year, at its peak of number 625. Charlize stayed in the top 1000 for a dozen years and has since slipped to number 2658 in 2025 with 65 girls.