Karl is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Karl means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Karl across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Karl has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Karl is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “free man”. the German form of Charles.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 101,751 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 2,666 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 282 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 229 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 4,556 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 3,822 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 Karl per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1960 (2,614/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (413/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1980 (192/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (27/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1988 (16/yr).
Karl has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1960, when it ranked #299 nationally (given to 2,614 babies that year).
Carol · Carole · Carl · Carla · Carly · Karla · Carrol · Carley
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