Karl

Did you know?

A few things about Karl you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Karl

Karl Marx

German-born philosopher (1818–1883)

Choose Karl and your child shares a first name with Karl Marx, a German-born philosopher. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Karl, like who?” Karl Marx's Wikipedia article is available in 312 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Karl Marx on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: John Jabez Edwin Mayall, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 15,974 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Karl, 107 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Karl would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryKarl has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Karls, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1964, when it ranked #135. Today it's #1,585, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowKarl was 3.0× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 5,365 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 15,974.
• 📍Where it's lovedKarl is most popular in New Jersey, where it ranks #655. It's in the top 1,000 in 1 state.
• 💬MeaningIn German, Karl means “free man”. Our records link it to German and Old German roots.

About the name Karl

Karl is a boy name of German and Old German origin meaning “free man”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with K and ending in “-arl”. US birth records list Karl for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1964, when it ranked #135 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,585, with 107 babies.

Origin:German namesOld German names