Carl
Boy nameCarl has been given to 508,017 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1956.
Meaning & origin /kɑːl/
From Germanic, cognate with English Charles. * From German and other north European Carl and Karl. * From Latin Carolus.
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
508,017
Peak year
1956 (8,345 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -59%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Rank through the decades
Carl's rank among U.S. boy names at 25-year milestones.
| Year | Boys rank |
|---|---|
| 1900 | #29 |
| 1925 | #28 |
| 1950 | #44 |
| 1975 | #91 |
| 2000 | #304 |
— means outside the top 1000 that year.
Spellings & variants
Names one letter away from Carl — alternate spellings parents actually use.
Famous people named Carl
Carl Linnaeus
Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (1707–1778)
Carl Jung
Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (1875–1961)
Carl Sagan
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934–1996)
Carl von Clausewitz
German-Prussian general and military theorist
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Carl.
FAQ
How popular is the name Carl?
Carl has been given to 508,017 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.
When did the name Carl peak?
Carl peaked in 1956, when 8,345 babies were given the name.
Is Carl a girl or boy name?
Carl is primarily a boy name (99% of babies named Carl are boys).
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