How common is the surname Karl?

6,564 people in the United States had the surname Karl in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 47,036 Americans. It ranked 5,308th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Karl?

In the 2010 Census, 91% of people named Karl identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.7% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Who is the most famous person named Karl?

Benjamin Karl, Austrian snowboarder, followed by George Karl.

Where is the surname Karl most common?

Wikidata records people named Karl in Austria and the United States.

Is the surname Karl getting more or less common?

More common. 6,135 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 6,564 in 2010, up 7.0%.

Is Karl also a first name?

Yes. Karl is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Karl

A surname, carried by 6,564 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex K640 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Karl is more common than 96.7% of them.

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 6,564 people named Karl in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 47,036 Americans. That is up 7.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 6,135.

#5,308

rank among US surnames

6,564

people in 2010

2.2

per 100,000 Americans

+7%

change since 2000 (was #5,227)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#5,300	Silverstein	6,576	46,950
#5,301	Hume	6,573	46,972
#5,302	Lowell	6,569	47,000
#5,303	Copley	6,568	47,008
#5,304	Hazelwood	6,567	47,015
#5,305	Rawlins	6,566	47,022
#5,306	Cobbs	6,565	47,029

Who is named Karl

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

91% of people named Karl identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.7% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 91%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.7%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Black (not Hispanic) 1.9%
Two or more races 1.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Karls

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Benjamin Karl
Austrian snowboarder, born 1985
George Karl
American basketball player and coach, born 1951
Coby Karl
American basketball player and coach (born 1983)
Andy Karl
American actor (born 1974)
Fritz Karl
Austrian actor, born 1967
Beatrix Karl
Austrian politician, born 1967

Notable Karls come mostly from Austria (3) and the United States (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Karl

Karl has the Soundex code K640, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code K640.

Questions

How common is the surname Karl?: 6,564 people in the United States had the surname Karl in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 47,036 Americans. It ranked 5,308th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Karl?: In the 2010 Census, 91% of people named Karl identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.7% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
Who is the most famous person named Karl?: Benjamin Karl, Austrian snowboarder, followed by George Karl.
Where is the surname Karl most common?: Wikidata records people named Karl in Austria and the United States.
Is the surname Karl getting more or less common?: More common. 6,135 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 6,564 in 2010, up 7.0%.
Is Karl also a first name?: Yes. Karl is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.