Nameling

Carl

Gender
Boy
Say it
KARL
Origin
Germanic
UK rank, 2025
#1,859 for boys
US rank, 2025
#1,132 for boys

Carl is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “free man”. In 2025 it ranked 1,859th for boys in the UK (14 babies) and 1,132nd for boys in the US (187 babies).

What does Carl mean?

Germanic: German and Scandinavian form of Charles

“free man”

The German and Scandinavian form of Charles, borne by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Carl a girl's or a boy's name?

Carl is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 14 boys in the UK and 187 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Carl in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#1,859among boys
Babies in 2025
14about 1 in 21,000 boys
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 49% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 14 boys in the UK were named Carl, making it the 1,859th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,179th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 391 boys.

Half of all the boys named Carl in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2007. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

In 2025, 32 boys in the UK were given Carl or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #908, up from #1,859 for this spelling alone.

Among boys in 2025, it was 1,795th in England and Wales.

In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1964 (#37), 1974 (#39), 1984 (#44) and 1994 (#84).

1996Busiest: 391 in 19962025
Carl in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202514#1,859
202410#2,328
202319#1,454
202218#1,501
202111#2,100
202025#1,179
201925#1,159
201834#966
201735#961
201633#988
201557#673
201457#660
201346#768
201264#619
201153#690
201068#560
2009106#409
2008100#413
2007122#343
2006124#310
2005108#325
2004140#265
2003169#225
2002144#240
2001183#199
2000206#183
1999257#152
1998305#145
1997314#140
1996391#126

How popular is Carl in the US?

Rank in 2025
#1,132among boys
Babies in 2025
187about 1 in 9,100 boys
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 33% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 187 boys in the US were named Carl, making it the 1,132nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 812th. Its busiest year was 1956, with 8,313 boys.

2025 had the fewest boys named Carl since the records began in 1880.

Half of all the boys named Carl in the US since 1880 were born between 1927 and 1962, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 294 boys in the US were given Carl or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #780, up from #1,132 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 8,313 in 19562025
Carl in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025187#1,132
2024216#1,031
2023233#964
2022220#1,012
2021246#922
2020286#812
2019319#748
2018345#701
2017415#628
2016445#605
2015457#599
2014436#612
2013446#578
2012487#536
2011426#588
2010449#563
2009519#521
2008559#491
2007628#445
2006658#427
2005653#415
2004752#369
2003775#354
2002784#349
2001882#318
2000988#304
1999996#290
19981,147#260
19971,093#260
19961,184#250
19951,380#213
19941,415#204
19931,585#193
19921,782#181
19911,922#168
19902,189#145
19892,259#135
19882,318#126
19872,223#126
19862,444#114
19852,526#112
19842,567#108
19832,605#106
19822,802#104
19812,793#106
19802,935#103
19792,898#100
19782,606#100
19772,615#99
19762,670#95
19752,810#91
19742,895#89
19733,013#90
19723,406#85
19714,055#72
19704,402#66
19694,522#62
19684,645#59
19674,890#57
19665,227#56
19655,797#54
19646,661#55
19637,128#54
19626,854#58
19617,255#56
19607,808#53
19597,501#54
19587,734#51
19578,192#49
19568,313#48
19558,294#47
19548,137#47
19537,829#44
19527,823#45
19517,641#43
19507,288#44
19497,689#43
19487,829#42
19478,050#40
19467,380#39
19456,314#39
19446,825#36
19437,472#33
19427,268#36
19417,160#29
19406,752#32
19396,593#30
19386,849#29
19376,914#28
19366,591#27
19356,693#28
19346,683#28
19336,188#28
19326,714#28
19316,583#28
19306,951#26
19296,895#28
19286,946#28
19277,277#26
19266,939#26
19257,061#28
19247,085#27
19236,871#28
19226,690#30
19217,077#30
19207,010#27
19196,474#29
19187,004#25
19176,699#24
19166,785#23
19156,613#22
19144,807#24
19133,935#23
19123,224#24
19111,574#26
19101,339#26
19091,215#25
19081,074#29
19071,018#27
1906951#27
1905959#26
1904953#25
1903910#23
1902952#24
1901817#24
19001,016#29
1899774#25
1898919#24
1897828#25
1896852#25
1895851#22
1894861#22
1893786#24
1892808#25
1891675#24
1890693#27
1889704#27
1888675#29
1887588#28
1886556#32
1885494#34
1884521#36
1883480#32
1882478#34
1881359#41
1880372#42

Names like Carl

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Charles William James Robert Harry John Lewis Charlie Thomas George Joseph Billy

Other spellings of Carl

Karl

Names related to Carl

Carlo Carol Charly

More Germanic names

Amelia Liam Henry Charlotte Archie Emma Freddie Ella Millie Albie Matilda Louie Miles Alice Myles Lottie

Every Germanic name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Carl: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/carl, updated 20 October 2026.