# What is the reason for the 'electromagnetism terminology' when discussing the conserved quantities found through Noether's theorem?

In (theoretical) physics, it is customary to describe the system under consideration in terms of the Lagrangian. One of the major advantages of this approach is that it allows us to analyze the symmetries of the system in a systematic way. Arguably the most important result in this context is what is known as Noether's theorem: For any continuous symmetry of the Lagrangian, we have what is known as a 'conserved current'. Mathematically speaking:

$$\delta \mathcal L=0 \Leftrightarrow \partial_\mu j^\mu=0$$

where $j^\mu$ is the conserved current associated with this symmetry of the Lagrangian, defined by

$$j^\mu= \frac{\partial \mathcal L}{\partial (\partial_\mu \phi)}\delta\phi$$

or some variation/generalization thereof. The zero-component $j^0$ is conventionally called the charge.

My question is: Where did this terminology (charge, current) have its origins? Can something meaningful be said about this, beyond the fact that we can use the often-cited example of a complex scalar field to demonstrate that something similar to classical (electromagnetic) current and charge is conserved due to Noether's theorem? As an aside, any historically oriented reviews of the development of Noether's theorem would also be much appreciated.