The first name Karl

In 2025, 18 boys were named Karl, making it the 1,466th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 413 births (#110).

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Karl with other names.

In 2025, 107 boys born in the United States were named Karl, the 1,593rd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1960, when 2,594 were.

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

• Karl Marx
  German-born philosopher (1818–1883)
• Karl Popper
  Austrian-British philosopher of science and social and política e falsificationism and for, 1902–1994
• Karl Adolph Gjellerup
  Danish writer (1857–1919)
• Karl Dönitz
  German admiral and former president of Nazi Germany in 1945 (born 1891-1980)
• Karl Weierstraß
  German mathematician (1815–1897)
• Karl Lagerfeld
  German fashion designer (1933–2019)
• Karl Kraus
  Austrian playwright and publicist (1874–1936)
• Karl Kautsky
  Czech-Austrian Marxist theorist (1854–1938)
• Karl Nehammer
  Chancellor of Austria from 2021 to 2025
• Karl Barry Sharpless
  American chemist and Nobel Laureate (born 1941)
• Karl Renner
  First President of Austria (1870–1950)
• Karl von Frisch
  German-Austrian ethologist (1886-1982)

What does the name Karl mean?

From German and North Germanic (Scandinavian) Karl, from Germanic. Doublet of Charles.

How popular is the name Karl?

In 2025, 18 boys born in England and Wales were named Karl, ranking 1,466th. Its peak was 1996, with 413 births.

Is Karl a boy's or a girl's name?

Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 101,751 US babies named Karl since 1880 were boys.

When was Karl most popular?

1960 in the United States, when 2,594 babies were named Karl, its highest rank at 135th.

What are other spellings of Karl?

Carl.

Is Karl also a surname?

Yes. Karl is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.