Sounds made up. Also is distinctly associated with celebrity Charlize Theron who I think sort of owns this name (similar to Beyonce and Ariana for Ariana Grande)
Full disclosure: I actually *really like* this name. In fact I prefer it to Charlotte! However, it's so utterly connected to a particular person (Charlize Theron) outside of South Africa that using it in real life would look like you're naming your daughter specifically after her. And she's not a problematic person; but from the outside you run the risk of people judging you as shallow because you "named your kid after a celebrity." Of course neither assumption would be true, and it would say more about the judgers than anyone else. But it's an obstacle to consider.
Charlize van der Westhuizen is a South Africa cricketer. She has made two Test and 33 Women's One Day International appearances for South Africa since 2003.
Charlize Theron is a South African-American actress and film producer. She has starred in several Hollywood films, such as The Devil's Advocate, Mighty Joe Young, The Cider House Rules, Monster, The Italian Job, Hancock, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Fate of the Furious.
Pronounced shar-LEEZ or shar-LEESE. A bit harsh in my opinion.
― Anonymous User 6/23/2013
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Afrikaans should be listed as one of the usages. This name is common in South Africa, especially among Afrikaner women and it is of Afrikaans origin. -lize and -ize (likely taken from Elize) are popular suffixes in modern Afrikaans feminine names, and the practice of inventing names for children by changing or combining relatives' names, e.g. Charles to Charlize, is common within Afrikaner communities. [noted -ed]