NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Carl

A masculine Germanic name derived from Charlemagne meaning "free man".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Carl is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Carl popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2263, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 387 births.

This profile covers 3,036 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 3% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 3,328 living people in the UK are called Carl. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Carl ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 387 boys were registered as Carl.
  • Carl ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #415 in 2015.
  • About 3,328 living people in the UK are estimated to have Carl as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2263

2024

Births in 2024

10

Latest year

Peak year

1996

387 births

Estimated living

3,328

2026

Meaning

What does Carl mean?

The name Carl has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the Old Norse name "Karl" and the Old English name "Cærl." These names are believed to have originated from the Common Germanic word "karlaz," meaning "man" or "husband."

The name gained widespread popularity in medieval Europe, particularly in areas where Germanic languages were spoken, such as Scandinavia, Germany, and England. It was often associated with strength, masculinity, and nobility.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carl can be found in the 8th century, when Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great (742-814), was referred to as "Carolus Magnus" in Latin. This powerful ruler of the Frankish Empire played a significant role in shaping European history and promoting the spread of Christianity.

Another notable historical figure with the name Carl was Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), a Swedish botanist, zoologist, and physician. He is renowned for his pioneering work in the classification of organisms and for establishing the modern system of binomial nomenclature used in the naming of species.

In the realm of literature, Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was an influential American poet, writer, and editor. He is best known for his poetry collections, including "Chicago Poems" and "Cornhuskers," which celebrated the lives of ordinary people and the industrial landscape of the United States.

The name Carl has also been associated with notable scientists and mathematicians. Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) was a German mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to various fields, including number theory, algebra, and electromagnetism.

Another prominent figure with the name Carl was Carl Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He is widely regarded as the founder of analytical psychology and is known for his influential theories on the collective unconscious, archetypes, and personality types.

While the name Carl has a long and rich history, it has also been subject to variations and adaptations across different cultures and languages, such as Charles in English and Karl in German. Regardless of its spelling or pronunciation, the name continues to carry a sense of strength, masculinity, and cultural significance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Carl over time

The chart below shows babies named Carl registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Carl, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 387 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Carl
097194290387199620102024

Decades

Carl by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Carl was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #1637 81 5
2010s #770 440 10
2000s #284 1,307 10
1990s #132 1,208 4

Geography

Where Carl is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Carl. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Carl ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #415 in 2015.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Carl in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#733 in 2017

34 years of NRS records, 217 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#415 in 2015

14 years of NISRA records, 111 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Carl

  • Carl Wheatle

    basketball player

    basketball player (1998-)

    1998-

  • Carl Winchester

    association football player

    Northern Ireland association football player (born 1993)

    1993-

  • Carl Wilkinson

    darts player

    English darts player

    1984-

  • Carl Wilkinson

    motorcycle racer

    British speedway rider

    1981-

  • Carl Warner

    photographer

    British artist, director, author and photographer

    1963-

  • Carl Off

    actor; singer; television actor

    British singer and actor (1943–2004)

    1943-2004

  • Carl Wilson

    association football player

    association football player (1940-2019)

    1940-2019

  • Carl van Geyzel

    athletics competitor; cricketer

    British athlete (1902-1971)

    1902-1971

Related

Names similar to Carl

FAQ

Carl: questions and answers

How popular is the name Carl in the UK right now?

In 2024, Carl was ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.

When was Carl most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 387 babies registered as Carl in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Carl?

A masculine Germanic name derived from Charlemagne meaning "free man".

How many people are called Carl in the UK?

A total of 3,036 babies have been registered as Carl across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 217 more in Scotland and 111 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Carl most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Carl ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #415 in 2015. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.