Carrel as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Carrel

What is the meaning of the name Carrel ?

The baby name Carrel is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈkærəl/ (KAR-əl).

Carrel is French in Origin.

Carrel is a surname-turned-given-name of chiefly French origin. The French family name appears in Savoy and Burgundy and is best known through Nobel Prize–winning surgeon Alexis Carrel (1873–1944). As a given name in the English-speaking world, Carrel surfaces in the 20th century, influenced by the fashion for adopting surnames and by the sound-alike Carroll. It is used for both boys and girls, though remains rare.

Etymology is twofold. In many cases Carrel represents a French regional or pet form of Charles (Latin Carolus, from Proto-Germanic Karl), yielding the meaning “free man.” In other lines it stems from Old French carrel/carrelle, “square stone, tile” (from Late Latin quadrellus), possibly denoting someone who lived by a paved square or worked with tiles. Variants and cognates include Carrell, Carel, Karel, Carol, Carroll, and Carrol; diminutives such as Cary or Cal may occur.

⚙ Carrel is rarely chosen. In all, it turns up just 43 times, across 9 countries.