Karl
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KARL
- Origin
- Germanic
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,537 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,585 for boys
Karl is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “man, free man”. In 2025 it ranked 1,537th for boys in the UK (18 babies) and 1,585th for boys in the US (107 babies).
What does Karl mean?
Germanic: German and Scandinavian form of Charles
“man, free man”
German and Scandinavian form of Charles; Charlemagne is known in German as Karl der Grosse.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Karl a girl's or a boy's name?
Karl is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 18 boys in the UK and 107 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Karl in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,537th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 18 about 1 in 17,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 30% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 18 boys in the UK were named Karl, making it the 1,537th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,581st. Its busiest year was 1996, with 423 boys.
Half of all the boys named Karl in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2006. 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 Karl or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #908, up from #1,537 for this spelling alone.
- Karl 18
- Carl 14
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,465th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1964 (#64), 1974 (#50), 1984 (#61) and 1994 (#95).
Karl in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | #1,537 |
| 2024 | 11 | #2,149 |
| 2023 | 18 | #1,507 |
| 2022 | 18 | #1,501 |
| 2021 | 23 | #1,265 |
| 2020 | 16 | #1,581 |
| 2019 | 19 | #1,412 |
| 2018 | 32 | #1,002 |
| 2017 | 34 | #985 |
| 2016 | 30 | #1,056 |
| 2015 | 32 | #1,005 |
| 2014 | 46 | #756 |
| 2013 | 31 | #1,002 |
| 2012 | 48 | #753 |
| 2011 | 61 | #625 |
| 2010 | 67 | #569 |
| 2009 | 68 | #552 |
| 2008 | 63 | #584 |
| 2007 | 91 | #429 |
| 2006 | 95 | #400 |
| 2005 | 132 | #279 |
| 2004 | 116 | #302 |
| 2003 | 137 | #259 |
| 2002 | 114 | #278 |
| 2001 | 155 | #224 |
| 2000 | 192 | #193 |
| 1999 | 245 | #162 |
| 1998 | 270 | #150 |
| 1997 | 374 | #129 |
| 1996 | 423 | #117 |
How popular is Karl in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,585th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 107 about 1 in 16,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 22% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 107 boys in the US were named Karl, making it the 1,585th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,568th. Its busiest year was 1960, with 2,594 boys.
Half of all the boys named Karl in the US since 1880 were born between 1946 and 1974, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 294 boys in the US were given Karl or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #780, up from #1,585 for this spelling alone.
- Carl 187
- Karl 107
Karl in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 107 | #1,585 |
| 2024 | 99 | #1,685 |
| 2023 | 101 | #1,681 |
| 2022 | 128 | #1,425 |
| 2021 | 115 | #1,529 |
| 2020 | 104 | #1,568 |
| 2019 | 145 | #1,283 |
| 2018 | 143 | #1,282 |
| 2017 | 141 | #1,287 |
| 2016 | 167 | #1,149 |
| 2015 | 184 | #1,075 |
| 2014 | 165 | #1,147 |
| 2013 | 169 | #1,096 |
| 2012 | 161 | #1,135 |
| 2011 | 173 | #1,078 |
| 2010 | 177 | #1,086 |
| 2009 | 207 | #966 |
| 2008 | 188 | #1,019 |
| 2007 | 242 | #859 |
| 2006 | 270 | #769 |
| 2005 | 265 | #752 |
| 2004 | 281 | #695 |
| 2003 | 300 | #658 |
| 2002 | 330 | #608 |
| 2001 | 351 | #580 |
| 2000 | 366 | #564 |
| 1999 | 390 | #534 |
| 1998 | 455 | #481 |
| 1997 | 483 | #459 |
| 1996 | 504 | #446 |
| 1995 | 598 | #391 |
| 1994 | 612 | #381 |
| 1993 | 662 | #357 |
| 1992 | 738 | #336 |
| 1991 | 811 | #317 |
| 1990 | 858 | #295 |
| 1989 | 908 | #273 |
| 1988 | 843 | #274 |
| 1987 | 853 | #260 |
| 1986 | 904 | #248 |
| 1985 | 961 | #242 |
| 1984 | 896 | #244 |
| 1983 | 911 | #242 |
| 1982 | 973 | #240 |
| 1981 | 1,062 | #226 |
| 1980 | 1,060 | #225 |
| 1979 | 956 | #234 |
| 1978 | 900 | #232 |
| 1977 | 941 | #230 |
| 1976 | 868 | #234 |
| 1975 | 904 | #226 |
| 1974 | 1,004 | #214 |
| 1973 | 985 | #220 |
| 1972 | 1,167 | #199 |
| 1971 | 1,323 | #191 |
| 1970 | 1,575 | #177 |
| 1969 | 1,565 | #180 |
| 1968 | 1,598 | #168 |
| 1967 | 1,695 | #159 |
| 1966 | 1,792 | #158 |
| 1965 | 2,019 | #154 |
| 1964 | 2,403 | #135 |
| 1963 | 2,513 | #136 |
| 1962 | 2,457 | #142 |
| 1961 | 2,543 | #138 |
| 1960 | 2,594 | #135 |
| 1959 | 2,354 | #148 |
| 1958 | 2,348 | #146 |
| 1957 | 2,338 | #146 |
| 1956 | 2,060 | #150 |
| 1955 | 1,935 | #149 |
| 1954 | 1,736 | #166 |
| 1953 | 1,653 | #163 |
| 1952 | 1,564 | #170 |
| 1951 | 1,439 | #175 |
| 1950 | 1,304 | #172 |
| 1949 | 1,321 | #172 |
| 1948 | 1,187 | #179 |
| 1947 | 1,119 | #184 |
| 1946 | 998 | #185 |
| 1945 | 758 | #196 |
| 1944 | 837 | #186 |
| 1943 | 907 | #182 |
| 1942 | 878 | #179 |
| 1941 | 864 | #177 |
| 1940 | 855 | #174 |
| 1939 | 866 | #171 |
| 1938 | 985 | #162 |
| 1937 | 907 | #162 |
| 1936 | 830 | #165 |
| 1935 | 812 | #171 |
| 1934 | 689 | #186 |
| 1933 | 681 | #181 |
| 1932 | 670 | #193 |
| 1931 | 635 | #204 |
| 1930 | 648 | #206 |
| 1929 | 637 | #207 |
| 1928 | 599 | #219 |
| 1927 | 630 | #211 |
| 1926 | 595 | #226 |
| 1925 | 589 | #225 |
| 1924 | 584 | #232 |
| 1923 | 565 | #235 |
| 1922 | 527 | #246 |
| 1921 | 573 | #233 |
| 1920 | 502 | #245 |
| 1919 | 515 | #234 |
| 1918 | 600 | #209 |
| 1917 | 673 | #180 |
| 1916 | 685 | #176 |
| 1915 | 715 | #160 |
| 1914 | 548 | #161 |
| 1913 | 387 | #177 |
| 1912 | 323 | #182 |
| 1911 | 156 | #194 |
| 1910 | 92 | #252 |
| 1909 | 102 | #207 |
| 1908 | 97 | #209 |
| 1907 | 89 | #213 |
| 1906 | 108 | #169 |
| 1905 | 65 | #241 |
| 1904 | 67 | #230 |
| 1903 | 70 | #212 |
| 1902 | 65 | #223 |
| 1901 | 54 | #235 |
| 1900 | 75 | #230 |
| 1899 | 49 | #238 |
| 1898 | 53 | #239 |
| 1897 | 57 | #232 |
| 1896 | 60 | #234 |
| 1895 | 67 | #211 |
| 1894 | 73 | #199 |
| 1893 | 63 | #215 |
| 1892 | 59 | #228 |
| 1891 | 61 | #202 |
| 1890 | 47 | #246 |
| 1889 | 50 | #229 |
| 1888 | 71 | #206 |
| 1887 | 49 | #224 |
| 1886 | 48 | #248 |
| 1885 | 44 | #248 |
| 1884 | 34 | #296 |
| 1883 | 33 | #284 |
| 1882 | 40 | #272 |
| 1881 | 29 | #296 |
| 1880 | 21 | #373 |
Names like Karl
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Charles, James, Robert, William, Michael, John, Billy, Daniel, Thomas, Harry, David, Lewis
Other spellings of Karl
Names related to Karl
More Germanic names
Amelia, Liam, Henry, Charlotte, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Louie, Miles, Alice, Myles
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, “Karl: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/karl, updated 20 October 2026.