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 1996 and has been recorded in 21 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 1996 with 387 babies (rank #116 that year). It was not in the 2024 data. 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.

2,865

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

387

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

Other boys' names starting with C

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1996	387	#116
1997	292	#132
1998	286	#136
1999	243	#143
2000	193	#179
2001	177	#193
2002	142	#221
2003	161	#212
2004	125	#261
2005	93	#341
2006	110	#317
2007	113	#329
2008	91	#406
2009	102	#383
2010	60	#568
2011	49	#663
2012	58	#608
2013	45	#723
2014	54	#637
2015	53	#647
2016	31	#954