Carlo
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Meaning
Italian form of Charles, traditionally linked to Germanic karl, "man"
The story
Before Pinocchio is a puppet, he is a piece of firewood with opinions. Carlo Collodi's story teases the expectation of a king, then begins with ordinary wood that complains when struck and laughs when planed. Geppetto will make and name the puppet, but its voice arrives first. The author's own name has a small story inside it: Carlo Lorenzini chose Collodi as his pen name from his mother's birthplace. He had worked in journalism and political satire and translated French fairy tales before writing for children. Carlo is the Italian form of Charles, traditionally traced through Karl to a Germanic word for man. Lorenzini's association gives it a playful literary presence, carried by a writer who lets a piece of firewood interrupt the grown-ups. Even before the carving is finished, the wood has something to say.
Carlo across languages
One shared root links 24 names across 7 languages.
Shared root: traditionally linked to Germanic karl, meaning "man"; Latin form Carolus
The constellation
17 more branches of this family
How popular is Carlo around the world?
In the United States, 1,202 babies were named Carlo between 2020 and 2025. In Austria, 36 boys named Carlo were born in 2025, the 180th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
Carlo is on the official records of the United States, Austria, Mexico City, Scotland, Chile, South Australia, England and Wales, Montevideo, Brazil, Spain, Canada, France and Argentina.
United States
1 in 18,000
In the United States, 1,202 babies were named Carlo between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Carlo peaked in the 1910s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure. In US birth records Carlo has stayed between 877 and 2,015 births in every decade since the 1950s: a name everyone knows and few children get.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Austria
1 in 2,100
In Austria, 36 boys named Carlo were born in 2025, the 180th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Mexico City City
1 in 3,500
In Mexico City, there were 34 registrations of Carlo in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (3 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Scotland
1 in 6,500
In Scotland, 7 boys named Carlo were registered in 2024, the 432nd most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Chile
1 in 16,000
In Chile, 11 boys were registered as Carlo in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Carlo in 2017.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 22,000
In England and Wales, 27 boys named Carlo were born in 2025, ranked 1,093rd among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Montevideo City
1 in 25,0002011
In Montevideo, 1 boy named Carlo was born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Brazil
1 in 31,000
At the 2022 census, 6,498 people in Brazil were named Carlo, ranked 2,283rd, with a median age of 40.
Among people named Carlo living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 149 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Spain
1 in 36,000
In Spain, 1,262 residents are named Carlo, ranked 1,164th among men, with a mean age of 35.1 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Canada
1 in 37,000
In Canada, 10 boys named Carlo were born in 2024, ranked 1,964th among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
France
1 in 64,000
In France, about 10 boys named Carlo were born in 2025, ranked 2,555th among boys that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Argentina
1 in 95,000
In Argentina, 7 newborns were given the name Carlo in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Ireland
last on record 2024
Carlo is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
New Zealand
last on record 2009
Carlo is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Poland
last on record 2023
Carlo is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
Puerto Rico
last on record 2006
Carlo is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 22 babies have carried the name there since 1998.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Carlo
People given the name Carlo in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1970 to 2019. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Saint names for babies and confirmation · Familiar but never popular
The Carlo deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Carlo truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Carlo fits with your family’s names and surname.
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