Carl
About Carl
This no-nonsense German variation of Charles is strong and sturdy. A top choice throughout the 20th century, Carl is now verging on falling off the charts.
Pronounced KARL.
As of October 2026, Carl ranked #1134 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #22 in 1895, Nameberry popularity #13.
Editor: Pamela Redmond
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #613 | 436 | 227 |
| 2015 | #599 | 457 | 238.4 |
| 2016 | #605 | 445 | 234.5 |
| 2017 | #628 | 415 | 224.2 |
| 2018 | #709 | 343 | 188.9 |
| 2019 | #748 | 319 | 177.8 |
| 2020 | #812 | 286 | 165.7 |
| 2021 | #924 | 245 | 140 |
| 2022 | #1,012 | 220 | 126 |
| 2023 | #963 | 233 | 136.2 |
| 2024 | #1,033 | 215 | 124.8 |
| 2025 | #1,134 | 187 | 109.5 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Carl.
- Tom
- Timothee
- Ronald
- Douglas
- Donald
- Karl
- Allen
- Bruce
- Dennis
- Marvin
- Craig
- Joe
- Eddie
- Melvin
- Stanford
- Gregory
- Jerry
- Alvin
- Marty
- Raymond
Carl on lists
Famous Carls
- Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis
American track and field athlete
- Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus)
King of Sweden
- Carl Linnaeus
Swedish biologist and father of taxonomy
- Carl Linnaeus the Younger
Swedish biologist
- Carl Edward Sagan
American astronomer
- Carl Friedrich Gauss
German mathematician and physicist
- Carl David Tolm Runge
German mathematician and physicist
- Carl Gustav Jung
Swiss psychiatrist and associate of Sigmund Freud
- Carl Dean Wilson
musician of American band The Beach Boys, brother of Brian Wilson
- Carl Philipp Gottfried "Gottlieb" von Clausewit
German general and military theorist
- Carl Christian Maria Anna Rudolph Anton Marcus d'Aviano
Archduke of Austria
- Carl Ferdinand Cori
Czech biochemist and Nobel Prize winner
- Carl
Prince of Denmark and Iceland (born Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel), aka Haakon VII, King of Norway
- (Oscar) Carl Wilhelm
Prince of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Vastergotland
- Carl Soderberg
Swedish NHL Hockey player
- Carl Anthony Williams
Australian gang lord
- Carl Milles
Swedish sculptor
- Carl Harvey "C.H." Greenblatt
American animator
- Oscar Carl Olof
Prince of Sweden
Carl in pop culture
- Carl Grimes
character on TV's "The Walking Dead"
- Carl Denham
character in "King Kong" series
- Carl Francis Gallagher
character on TV's "Shameless"
- Carl Fredricksen
character in Pixar's "Up"
- Carl Foutley
character on animated series "As Told By Ginger"
- Carlton "Carl" Carlson
character on TV's "The Simpsons"
- Carl Brutananadilewski
character on animated series "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"
- Carl Crashman
main character on Canadian animated series "Carlò"
- Carl Howell
character on TV's "Glee"
- Carl Thomas King
character on British soap "Emmerdale"
- Carl White
character on British soap "EastEnders"
- Carl Abbot
character in "Sims" series
- Carl Wheezer
Jimmy's best friend on animated series "Jimmy Neutron"
- Carl Hauser
character in the film "Total Recall"
- Carl Sweetchuck
character in the "Police Academy" Film series
- Carl Proctor
character in the "Police Academy" Film series
- Carl Otis Winslow
character in the ABC TGIF sitcom "Family Matters"