Karl

Karl: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “free man”
Origin: Germanic
Say it: KAHRL · 1 syllable
Used for: Boys

German and Scandinavian form of Carl or Charles, from a Germanic word meaning 'man' or 'free man'. A longstanding traditional name across northern and central Europe.

German names Scandinavian names Slavic names Names meaning noble Classic names International names Short names

How popular is Karl?

202430.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Karl in 202499

2024 rank#1,684 boys

Peak year1963

Total US babies since 1880101,648

Karl is steady now but far below its 1963 peak.

Names like Karl

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Carlosfree man · Germanic
Carlfree man · Germanic
Karlafree woman · Germanic
Carlafree woman · Germanic
Karliefree man · Germanic
Carliefree man · Germanic
Karlyfree man · Germanic
Carlenefree woman · English

Karl questions

What does the name Karl mean?

Karl means "free man". It comes from Germanic. German and Scandinavian form of Carl or Charles, from a Germanic word meaning 'man' or 'free man'. A longstanding traditional name across northern and central Europe.

Is Karl a boy or girl name?

Karl is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Karl?

99 US babies were named Karl in 2024. Its peak year was 1963.

How do you pronounce Karl?

Karl is usually pronounced KAHRL.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.