Carl

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

Carl is the English spelling of the North Germanic male given name meaning "free man". The name originates in Old Norse. It is the first name of many Kings of Sweden including Carl XVI Gustaf. It is a variant of the English Charles, and the Latin Carolus.

From Wikipedia

Carl first appears in the data in 1991 and has been recorded in 34 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 1991 with 330 babies (rank #115 that year). In 2024 it was given to 29 boys (rank #897). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Carl

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Carl yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

7Destiny numberThe seekerIntrospective, analytical, drawn to the unknown.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
1Soul urgeThe leaderIndependent, pioneering, drawn to going first.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
6PersonalityThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

3,168

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

330

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In Pixar: Carl Fredricksen — the widower of Up

Famous people named Carl

Carl Linnaeusscientific collector · b. 1707
Carl Friedrich Gaussgeodesist · b. 1777
Carl Jungessayist · b. 1875
Carl Saganscience fiction writer · b. 1934
Carl von Clausewitzmilitary writer · b. 1780

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Carl in 2024

Other boys' names starting with C

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1991	330	#115
1992	287	#126
1993	278	#131
1994	219	#136
1995	248	#139
1996	169	#187
1997	158	#189
1998	122	#228
1999	120	#220
2000	99	#247
2001	101	#240
2002	70	#321
2003	69	#340
2004	66	#363
2005	62	#389
2006	55	#456
2007	57	#468
2008	49	#546
2009	41	#633
2010	42	#600
2011	50	#532
2012	38	#653
2013	40	#636
2014	42	#642
2015	42	#624
2016	57	#505
2017	37	#691
2018	44	#608
2019	43	#625
2020	31	#795
2021	29	#861
2022	28	#889
2023	16	#1,328
2024	29	#897