Carlotta

Carlotta is a feminine given name of Italian origin. It is the Italian form of Charlotte, which derives from the Germanic name Karl and the feminine suffix used to create names such as Charlotte. As a result, Carlotta carries the cultural associations of European naming traditions and has been used in various countries, including Italy, parts of Europe, and the Americas.

The name has appeared in literature, film, and on stage, and is sometimes chosen for characters or individuals to convey a European or romantic flair. In contemporary usage, Carlotta remains a recognizable but relatively uncommon given name in many regions, often chosen by families with Italian or romance-language influences.

Notable bearers include Carlotta Grisi (1819–1899), an Italian ballet dancer celebrated for originating the role of Giselle in the Romantic ballet Giselle, and Carlotta Walls LaNier (born 1942), an American civil rights activist who was one of the Little Rock Nine, the first group of Black students to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. These figures illustrate the name’s historical presence in both the arts and social change.

In summary, Carlotta is a historically rooted European name with ties to Charlotte, used across cultures with occasional prominence in the arts and in civil rights history. It also serves as a reminder of the broader family of names derived from Charles.