Karl
How to say it: KARL · /ˈkɑrl/
Germanic form of Charles; from Old High German 'karl', meaning free man or strong man.
Karl was the 775th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 107 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1960s, its births are down about 54% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #960 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #775 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 107 |
| Share of births | 1 in 11,276 |
| Peak decade | 1960s |
| Change over 10 years | −54% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #960 |
| In France, 2025 | #381 among boys’ names, 70 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Karl peaked in the 1960s and is less common today.
What goes with it
Nicknames
- Karli
Honouring a Karl in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Karl is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish.
In France: #381 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Karl
- Karl Marx (1818–1883)German-born philosopher
- Karl Popper (1902–1994)Austrian-British philosopher of science
- Karl Jaspers (1883–1969)German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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