Carlos
The Spanish and Portuguese form of Charles, which goes back to a Germanic word karl meaning free man, and was carried widely by Frankish rulers.
Carlos in 2025
Carlos was given to 2,418 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 275th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 1,371 babies born.
The history of Carlos
Carlos reached its highest point in 2001, when 6,864 babies were given the name, ranking 99th that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 309,076 babies have been named Carlos. Half of them were born before 1992, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Carlos by decade
| Decade | Babies named Carlos | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 209 | 700 |
| 1890s | 252 | 779 |
| 1900s | 489 | 651 |
| 1910s | 2,115 | 649 |
| 1920s | 4,850 | 494 |
| 1930s | 5,654 | 462 |
| 1940s | 8,198 | 402 |
| 1950s | 15,996 | 348 |
| 1960s | 22,664 | 233 |
| 1970s | 37,383 | 142 |
| 1980s | 41,953 | 137 |
| 1990s | 55,461 | 105 |
| 2000s | 63,329 | 99 |
| 2010s | 35,332 | 149 |
| 2020s | 15,191 | 248 |
Where Carlos is heading
Carlos has fallen 29% over the past decade, from 3,421 babies in 2015 to 2,418 in 2025.
Names like Carlos
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Carlos.