Karl
Boy nameKarl has been given to 101,751 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1960.
Meaning & origin
From German and North Germanic (Scandinavian) Karl, from Germanic. Doublet of Charles.
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
101,751
Peak year
1960 (2,614 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -42%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Karl
Karl Marx
German-born philosopher (1818–1883)
Karl Popper
Austrian-British philosopher of science and social and política e falsificationism and for criticism of Plato, Hegel and
Charles V
Holy Roman Emperor from 1519 to 1556 (1500–1558)
Carl Benz
German automotive and engine designer and manufacturer (1844–1929)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Karl.
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