Here Are 8 Other Famous Charlottes

2 minute read

Kensington Palace announced that the newest member of the royal family will be called Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, a decision that delighted many and disappointed just a few. The baby’s name pays clear tribute to her great-grandmother, grandmother and other family members, but will also likely cause the name to skyrocket in popularity. Here, meet the other Charlottes who came before the new princess.

Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte BronteGetty Images

The eldest of the three literary Brontë sisters is best known for writing the classic novel, Jane Eyre.

Charlotte York Goldenblatt

Kristin Davis as Charlotte York Goldenblatt in "Sex and the City."
Kristin Davis as Charlotte York Goldenblatt in "Sex and the City."New Line Cinema

The character of Charlotte, played by Kristen Davis, was considered the most traditional and romantic of the Sex and the City foursome.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Portrait of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, circa 1896.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, circa 1896.Getty Images

Gilman was a utopian feminist who agitated for social reform. She’s best known as the author of the short story The Yellow Wallpaper, about postpartum depression.

Charlotte Corday

Charlotte Corday
Charlotte CordayGetty Images

A moderate French revolutionary, Corday assassinated Jean-Paul Marat, who led the more radical wing of the revolution. She stabbed him in the bathtub, an incident that was later depicted in a famous Jacques-Louis David painting. Corday was later beheaded.

Charlotte Church

Charlotte Church sings during the Tsunami Relief Concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on Jan. 22, 2005.
Charlotte Church sings during the Tsunami Relief Concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on Jan. 22, 2005.Reuters

Charlotte Church is a Welsh soprano who has sold over $10 million records worldwide.

Charlotte d’Ambroise

Actress Charlotte d'Amboise attends an after party marking the 7,486th performance of 'Chicago.'
Charlotte d'Amboise attends an after party marking the 7,486th performance of 'Chicago.'Noam Galai— Getty Images

Charlotte d’Ambroise is a Broadway actress who has frequently starred as Roxie Hart in Chicago. She’s also starred in Sweet Charity and A Chorus Line.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown

Charlotte Hawkins Brown, founder of the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, N.C., in 1902
Charlotte Hawkins Brown, founder of the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, N.C., in 1902The Charlotte Observer/MCT/Getty Images

Brown was a prominent African-American educator in the early 20th century who started a school, the Palmer Institute, to educate black students in the south.

Charlotte de Suave

The Marquise of Noirmoutier, Charlotte de Beaune Semblancay seeking to dissuade Henry I of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, called the Scarred, to go to the meeting of the States of Blois before his assassination at the Chateau de Blois.
The Marquise of Noirmoutier, Charlotte de Beaune Semblancay seeking to dissuade Henry I of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, called the Scarred, to go to the meeting of the States of Blois before his assassination at the Chateau de Blois.Leemage/Corbis

Charlotte de Suave was a French noblewoman who became mistress of King Henry of Navarre in order to spy on him for Catherine de’Medici. She was a member of Catherine’s ‘Flying Squadron,’ a group of courtesans who seduced men in order to get valuable information from them for the Queen.

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Write to Charlotte Alter at charlotte.alter@time.com