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Karl as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Karl

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The baby name Karl is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /kɑrl/ (KAHRL).

Karl is Germanic in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Germanic
Pronunciation: /kɑrl/ (KAHRL)

What is the meaning of the name Karl ?

The baby name Karl is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /kɑrl/ (KAHRL).

Karl is Germanic in Origin.

Karl is the German and Scandinavian form of a deep-rooted Germanic name, cognate with English Charles. It derives from Proto-Germanic *karlaz, meaning "man" or more specifically "free man," later shading into "husband." The name gained pan-European prestige through Charlemagne (Karl der Grosse in German), whose legacy fixed Karl as a royal and imperial name in the Germanic and Nordic worlds, and it remained favored among nobles and commoners alike.

Variants include Carl (alternate German/Scandinavian spelling), Charles (English), Karel (Czech, Dutch), Karol (Polish, Slovak), Károly (Hungarian), Kārlis (Latvian), Kaarle (Finnish), Karlo (Croatian), Carlo (Italian), and Carlos (Spanish/Portuguese); feminine forms are Karla and Carla. Diminutives and nicknames range from Kalle (Swedish/Finnish) and Karlchen (German) to Kája (Czech, from Karel). The name’s steady use in the 19th and 20th centuries, helped by figures such as Karl Marx and Karl Benz, keeps its image solid and traditional while remaining internationally familiar.

Karl has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Karl

Karl Urban Actor · Born 1972 · New Zealand Karl Urban is a New Zealand actor best known for roles in The Boys, Star Trek, and The Lord of the Rings. Born on 7 June 1972 as Karl-Heinz Urban, he started his career with appearances in New Zealand films and TV series, including Xena: Warrior Princess. Karl Malone Actor · Born 1963 · United States Karl Malone is best known as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, starring for 18 seasons mostly with the Utah Jazz and earning the nickname "the Mailman." He teamed up with John Stockton to lead the Jazz to the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, and he finished his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Karl Malden Actor · Born 1912 · United States Karl Malden was an American actor best known for his acclaimed work on stage and screen, especially A Streetcar Named Desire. He first gained major attention in the original Broadway productions of All My Sons and A Streetcar Named Desire, and he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Mitch in the 1951 film version of Streetcar.
Karl Markovics Actor · Born 1963 · Austria Karl Markovics is an Austrian actor and director best known for starring in the Oscar-winning film The Counterfeiters. Born in Vienna in 1963, he became internationally recognized for his performance in Stefan Ruzowitzky’s 2007 movie, which earned Austria its first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Karl II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg Royal · Born 1728 · Württemberg Karl II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg, was a significant 18th-century German noble known for his efforts to modernize his duchy. He played a crucial role in the cultural development of Württemberg, establishing the Hohe Karlsschule, an elite military academy and university. His reign was marked by both cultural advancements and financial difficulties. Karlheinz Böhm Actor · Born 1928 · Austria Karlheinz Böhm was a German-born Austrian actor and philanthropist, best known for playing Emperor Franz Joseph I in the Sissi film trilogy. Internationally, he was also known for his chilling lead role as Mark Lewis in Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, and he appeared in 45 films overall.

Celebrity babies named Karl

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Karl Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart musician ★★★★★

Karl – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
Germany Boys 2025 #1 — 423
EE Boys 0 #17 210 2,087
EE 0 #18 20 1,051
BW 0 #19 1 960
Iceland Boys 0 #21 61 131
MT 0 #21 23 1,767
BF Boys 0 #26 1 439
Austria Boys 0 #29 3,925 2,180
NA 0 #29 5 2,537
HT Boys 0 #34 1 903
Iceland Boys 2023 #34 842 60
Austria Boys 1986 #42 138 60
MO 0 #50 3 2,706
CM 0 #53 4 2,592
MT Boys 0 #55 173 4,064
PR 0 #55 1 1,497
CY 0 #59 2 1,632
LU 0 #65 2 2,830
PH 0 #72 25 5,607
JP 0 #75 3 4,057
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
CN 0 #80 7 3,857
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
JM 0 #86 8 3,714
Austria 0 #87 168 850
TW 0 #99 5 4,523
QA 0 #101 6 7,011
Norway Boys 2025 #108 27 444
Sweden Boys 2022 #110 74 1,509
HU 0 #114 2 1,675
KW 0 #117 5 5,216
OM 0 #118 4 6,215
Switzerland Boys 2024 #120 18 1,769
CY Boys 0 #124 8 3,473
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
BN Boys 0 #132 8 6,332
ID Boys 0 #133 3 4,130
Germany Boys 0 #134 4,168 5,697
PA 0 #135 4 3,797
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
Finland Boys 2026 #139 3,692 3,552
LT Boys 0 #150 2 2,166
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
BW Boys 0 #151 4 4,685
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
PH Boys 0 #154 283 11,440
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
AE 0 #158 20 10,220
CR 0 #161 5 5,526
HU Boys 0 #161 14 3,954
JM Boys 0 #161 119 6,876
DK Boys 0 #162 200 7,401
PR Girls 0 #167 1 3,171
MO Boys 0 #170 54 5,842
NA Boys 0 #172 64 6,830
PR Boys 0 #177 2 2,508
CZ 0 #181 6 3,154
DK 0 #183 21 5,198
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
LU Boys 0 #193 26 4,970
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
SI Boys 0 #203 9 3,402
PL 0 #208 5 2,600
BG Boys 0 #216 5 3,850
Belgium Boys 1998 #219 23 424
TW Boys 0 #221 21 7,111
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
IR 0 #227 5 4,221
CN Boys 0 #233 90 9,639
CZ Boys 0 #233 72 6,530
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
BD 0 #240 2 5,992
HR Boys 0 #243 16 3,997
GH 0 #245 4 5,396
Germany 0 #247 212 2,542
SG 0 #247 23 11,010
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
JP Girls 0 #251 1 6,592
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
HK Boys 0 #265 369 12,905
GR Boys 0 #269 5 6,912
KZ Boys 0 #269 21 6,578
NG 0 #271 2 5,926
AF Boys 0 #274 1 3,535
IL 0 #280 3 6,291
SA 0 #283 13 10,560
Canada Boys 2024 #284 23 2,588
JP Boys 0 #287 11 7,909
Finland 0 #294 14 830
HK 0 #300 49 8,483
MU Boys 0 #302 56 8,477
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
PL Boys 0 #303 33 6,459
France Boys 2021 #309 80 2,865
MY 0 #309 22 12,352
KZ Girls 0 #310 11 5,862
GH Boys 0 #321 25 8,138
PE 0 #323 7 6,350
DK Girls 0 #328 2 7,429
Finland Boys 0 #330 98 2,041
GH Girls 0 #334 4 6,973
GT 0 #336 3 5,948
QA Girls 0 #341 3 15,378
PT Boys 0 #346 22 7,951
LB 0 #349 381 13,263
CZ Girls 0 #350 2 5,378
SD Girls 0 #356 3 7,678
CN Girls 0 #357 3 8,829
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
NL 0 #364 28 2,481
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
ZA 0 #365 83 14,421
RU Boys 0 #368 140 12,621
PH Girls 0 #376 15 13,098
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
YE 0 #394 5 8,639
CL 0 #400 12 6,867
Austria Girls 0 #401 20 1,885
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
EG 0 #407 6 6,387
UY Boys 0 #407 7 5,922
CM Boys 0 #412 143 12,054
OM Girls 0 #422 3 15,987
CR Boys 0 #424 64 10,188
Spain 0 #429 24 2,326
PA Boys 0 #431 51 9,305
MX 0 #438 8 8,339
AR Boys 0 #458 10 7,628
GT Boys 0 #458 17 7,625
SD Boys 0 #463 4 10,523
CO 0 #469 12 7,768
IR Boys 0 #482 71 10,162
PA Girls 0 #515 4 9,861
RU Girls 0 #517 7 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #523 3 11,303
CM Girls 0 #531 10 11,671
PS Boys 0 #533 16 10,655
GT Girls 0 #539 3 7,500
BH 0 #541 13 17,937
AE Girls 0 #543 11 20,968
IR Girls 0 #544 2 8,334
CL Boys 0 #545 122 13,390
KW Girls 0 #554 8 19,177
BO Boys 0 #558 35 9,244
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
SG Boys 0 #567 131 17,960
CR Girls 0 #572 2 11,342
IL Boys 0 #596 12 10,983
BD Boys 0 #601 5 10,045
SG Girls 0 #628 5 18,916
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
QA Boys 0 #636 72 18,093
ZA Boys 0 #640 654 25,619
HK Girls 0 #644 7 16,104
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
BO Girls 0 #650 2 9,488
IQ Boys 0 #654 14 13,071
IT 0 #657 58 4,183
NL Boys 0 #660 301 5,873
PE Boys 0 #690 190 14,506
BR Boys 0 #695 57 12,213
SY 0 #711 18 11,684
IT Boys 0 #714 951 10,046
KW Boys 0 #738 32 18,755
Spain Boys 0 #755 178 5,610
CO Boys 0 #759 163 15,656
MY Boys 0 #763 365 25,439
Germany Girls 0 #779 60 4,949
United States Boys 2024 #794 99 7,044
TN 0 #794 36 13,765
EG Boys 0 #813 74 15,035
NG Girls 0 #820 7 15,093
OM Boys 0 #839 43 17,948
MX Boys 0 #889 94 16,355
NG Boys 0 #889 63 16,906
CL Girls 0 #912 4 14,098
SA Girls 0 #920 16 25,931
PE Girls 0 #931 13 14,861
AE Boys 0 #948 145 22,615
MY Girls 0 #972 23 24,821
BR Girls 0 #990 3 12,708
IN Boys 0 #992 10 16,750
EG Girls 0 #1,003 7 14,742
MA 0 #1,044 85 20,986
CO Girls 0 #1,060 19 16,140
DZ 0 #1,085 92 20,130
TR 0 #1,135 77 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,140 44 17,781
ZA Girls 0 #1,232 5 25,928
IT Girls 0 #1,433 14 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,437 178 28,008

Karl is popular in 90 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Ireland
Canada
Scotland, United Kingdom

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People also ask about Karl

Karl is predominantly a boy's name.
Karl is a one syllable name, pronounced /kɑrl/ (KAHRL).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Carl, Karel, Karol, Kaarel, Karli and Kalle.
Across languages, Karl has these equivalents: Charles (English), Carlos (Spanish), Carlo (Italian), Károly (Hungarian), Karolis (Lithuanian), and 1 more.
Yes, very popular — Karl ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 13 countries.
Karl ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Karl's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 15 notable people named Karl are in our database, including Karl Urban (Actor), Karl Malone (Actor), Karl Malden (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Karl for their child, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.