Karl
Meaning
German and Scandinavian form of Charles, from Germanic karl, "man"
Karl around the world
One shared root links 24 names across 7 languages.
Shared root: from Germanic karl "man", Latinized as Carolus and spread everywhere by Charlemagne's fame
The constellation
17 more branches of this family
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Karl peaked in the 1910s and the 2000s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
814 people · the #9,555 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 250,000 · median age 36
Among people named Karl living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Karl
People given the name Karl in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1989. 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.
The Karl deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Karl 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 Karl fits with your family’s names and surname.
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