—2024 rank
1956peak year
489,250babies named Carl since 1880
▼ 33%5-year trend
Carl popularity over 145 years
🌱 Below the charts · roughly undefined% girls / NaN% boys in 2024
What does Carl mean?
The Scandinavian and German form of Charles, from Old Norse karl, 'free man' or 'commoner'. Carried by kings of Sweden and brought to America by Scandinavian immigrants.
OriginOld Norse, Germanic
Syllables1
Genderboy
Styleclassic, vintage
Names like Carl
Same era, same vibe — if you like Carl, these usually land on the shortlist too.
Famous Carls
- Carl Jung, psychiatrist
- Carl Sagan, astronomer
Spellings & variants
KarlCharles
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