 This river is indicated Rivière Saint-Charles on the maps of Champlain (1632) and Bourdon (around 1641), the latter also recording Lac Saint-Charles for the water table at the source of the river.The toponym "Saint-Charles River" was formalized on December 5, 1968 at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.The river crosses the huron-wendat territory of Wendake, landlocked in Quebec City.