Carl
The German and Scandinavian form of Charles, from a Germanic word karl meaning 'free man'. Charlemagne's Latinized name, Carolus, carried it through Europe.
Carl in 2025
Carl was given to 187 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,311th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 17,729 babies born.
The history of Carl
Carl reached its highest point in 1956, when 8,345 babies were given the name, ranking 99th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 54th, in 1915.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 508,017 babies have been named Carl. Half of them were born before 1946, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Carl by decade
| Decade | Babies named Carl | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,261 | 92 |
| 1890s | 8,138 | 89 |
| 1900s | 9,951 | 92 |
| 1910s | 48,767 | 54 |
| 1920s | 70,346 | 57 |
| 1930s | 67,170 | 57 |
| 1940s | 73,055 | 66 |
| 1950s | 79,064 | 93 |
| 1960s | 61,186 | 112 |
| 1970s | 31,757 | 152 |
| 1980s | 25,781 | 207 |
| 1990s | 14,730 | 287 |
| 2000s | 7,198 | 621 |
| 2010s | 4,225 | 1,129 |
| 2020s | 1,388 | 1,699 |
Where Carl is heading
Carl has fallen 59% over the past decade, from 457 babies in 2015 to 187 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1956 peak — Carl is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Carl
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Carl.