Charley peaked in 2014 and holds 10,987 SSA records. It is the less common feminine spelling of a name that has belonged to cowboys, kings, and now a growing number of American girls. At rank 729, it's the spelling variant that signals intention rather than convention.
Germanic Roots, Global History
Charlie and Charley both derive from Old High German Karl, meaning "free man," the same root that produced Charles, Carlos, and Karel across European languages. The -ey spelling has a specifically informal, American quality: think Charley horse, Charley Pride, the spelling that appears in folk culture rather than formal registers. That informality is part of the name's appeal for parents who love Charlie's warmth but want a spelling that feels distinctly chosen for a girl.
Charlie vs. Charley: The Spelling Question
Charlie with an IE is currently the dominant spelling for girls, sitting in the top 200 and still climbing. Charley with EY is rarer and reads as more deliberately styled. Both are legitimate; the difference is purely visual. Parents who choose Charley are often doing so precisely because they want the road-less-traveled spelling rather than the top-100 version. The tradeoff is that the name will be assumed to be Charlie in most written contexts until corrected. See also: Charlie for the more common spelling's data.
The Nickname That's Already a Nickname
Charley is already the short form; there's no shorter version that makes sense. Some families use Char as a further reduction, but the three-syllable structure of Charley's full presence is actually most of the point. The name works best as its own thing, not as a gateway to something shorter. Pair it with a strong surname and a longer middle name — Charley Josephine, Charley Vivienne — and the combination has real weight.