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Carl

Boy's name · #1134 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Carl was #22 back in 1894, held the national top 100 for more than a century without a break, and stands at #1134 today. About 505,000 boys have carried it since 1880.

Across the states

See where Carl is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 25 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Carl ranks in other countries and regions.

#91 in Sweden (2025) · #192 in Norway (2025) · #425 in Switzerland (2025) · #503 in Austria (2025) · #719 in France (2025) · #1,384 in Belgium (2025) · #1,814 in England & Wales (2025) · #897 in Canada (2024).

Famous Carls

• Carl Linnaeus — Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist (1707–1778)
• Carl Friedrich Gauss — German mathematician and physicist (1777–1855)
• Carl Jung — Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist (1875–1961)
• Carl Sagan — American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author (1934–1996)
• Carl Benz — German automotive and engine designer and manufacturer (1844–1929)

In stories & tradition

• Carl Johnson — Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (video game)
• Carl (Luke Cage) — Luke Cage (Bible)
• Carl Carlson — The Simpsons (TV series)

What Carls become

Among 14,562 notable people named Carl:

Business leaders appear 2.97× more often than among typical names — e.g. Carl Icahn, American businessman.

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Karl (#1593), Carl would rank around #838 with about 290 births last year — the newborns split about 64/36 between Carl and Karl.

Similar names: Karl · Albert · Khari · Alfred · Emil · Will

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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