Boy · #1,091 in 2026

Carl

Name: Popularity of the name Carl in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Carl, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Carl is the English spelling of North Germanic masculine name meaning "free man". The name originates in Old Norse. It is the first name of many Kings of Sweden including Carl XVI Gustaf. It is a variant of the English Charles, and the Latin Carolus.

Current Rank

#1,091

Peak Rank

#22 (1956)

Total Babies

505K

5-Yr Trend

-33%

1885

First Year

1994

Last Year

1928

Peak Year

#954

Peak Rank

Total Count

110

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Carl

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Carl

Carl first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 372 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1956, when 8,314 Carls were born — ranking #48 that year. As of 2026, Carl ranks #1,091 for baby boys with 198 births, falling sharply (-33%). In total, more than 505K Carls have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Carl

Phonetically similar names — useful when Carl is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Carl

What does the name Carl mean?

How popular is Carl in 2026?

In 2026, Carl ranks #1,091 among boys' names in the U.S., with 198 babies given the name that year.

When was Carl most popular?

Carl reached its peak popularity in 1956, ranking #22 that year with 8,314 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Carl most popular?

Carl has historically been most popular in Indiana, Ohio, Wyoming. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Carl.

Is Carl a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Carl is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Carl?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Carl include Elias, Roger, Ernest. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Carl

Carl is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 505K births in the dataset. Carl's peak popularity came in 1956 when it ranked #22. Use the chart and map above to compare Carl's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.