Carl

“Free man” — Germanic (Old Norse) origin

Boy's name · #1134 in the US (2025) · Heirloom

Carl was #22 back in 1894, held the national top 100 for more than a century without a break, and stands at #1134 today. About 505,000 boys have carried it since 1880. Together with its spelling variant Karl (#1593), Carl would rank around #838 with about 290 births last year — the newborns split about 64/36 between Carl and Karl.

Around the world: #91 in Sweden (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 25 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Carls

Carl Linnaeus — Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (1707–1778)
Carl Friedrich Gauss — German mathematician and physicist (1777–1855)
Carl Jung — Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (1875–1961)
Carl Sagan — American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934–1996)
Carl Benz — German automotive and engine designer and manufacturer (1844–1929)

In stories & tradition

Carl Johnson — Grand Theft Auto 3D universe
Carl (Luke Cage) — Luke Cage · Luke Cage Noir
Carl Carlson — The Simpsons

What Carls become

Among 14,562 notable people named Carl:

Business leaders appear 2.97× more often than among typical names — e.g. Carl Icahn, American businessman.

Similar names: Karl · Albert · Khari · Gerald · Emil · Will

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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