Carlos is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Carlos means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Carlos across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Carlos has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Carlos is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “free man”. the Spanish form of Charles.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 309,076 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,296 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 39 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 9 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 91 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 122 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Carlos per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2001 (6,864/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2003 (65/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2008 (6/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2014 (5/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2009 (3/yr).
Carlos has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2001, when it ranked #99 nationally (given to 6,913 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Corliss · Corlis · Carlis · Carles · Carliss · Carlisa · Carlus · Carless
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