NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Carlos

A masculine name of Spanish origin meaning "man, manly".

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.

Carlos is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Carlos popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #968, with 32 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2003, with 65 births.

This profile covers 1,290 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 49% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,328 living people in the UK are called Carlos. 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

  • Carlos ranked #968 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 32 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2003, when 65 boys were registered as Carlos.
  • Carlos ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #416 in 2018.
  • About 1,328 living people in the UK are estimated to have Carlos as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#968

2024

Births in 2024

32

Latest year

Peak year

2003

65 births

Estimated living

1,328

2026

Meaning

What does Carlos mean?

The name Carlos has its origins in the Germanic language and culture. It is derived from the word "karl", which means "man" or "free man". The name first appeared in the 8th century AD and was popular among the Frankish and Visigothic nobility.

In the 9th century, the name gained widespread popularity after Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, who was known as Carolus Magnus in Latin. His name was derived from the Germanic "Karloz", which later became Charles in French and Carlos in Spanish.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Carlos is in the 11th century, with Carlos Buen Hijo, a nobleman from the Kingdom of Navarre in modern-day Spain. During the Middle Ages, the name was widely used across Europe, particularly in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

The name Carlos has several historical references in religious texts and scriptures. In the Bible, there is a reference to a Carmelite friar named Carlos de Santa María, who lived in the 16th century and was known for his work in spreading Christianity in South America.

Throughout history, there have been many notable figures with the name Carlos. One of the most famous was Carlos I of Spain, also known as Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor who ruled in the 16th century from 1516 to 1556. Another notable figure was Carlos III of Spain, who reigned from 1759 to 1788 and was known for his many reforms and patronage of the arts.

In the realm of literature, there was Carlos Fuentes, a Mexican novelist and essayist who was born in 1928 and died in 2012. He was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century and was known for his works that explored Mexican identity and culture.

In the world of music, there was Carlos Gardel, an Argentine singer, composer, and actor who was born in 1890 and died in 1935. He was a pioneer of the tango music genre and is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of Latin American music.

Finally, in the field of science, there was Carlos Juan Finlay, a Cuban epidemiologist who was born in 1833 and died in 1915. He is credited with discovering that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes, a breakthrough that paved the way for the eradication of the disease in many parts of the world.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Carlos over time

The chart below shows babies named Carlos 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 Carlos, the clearest high point is 2003. The latest England and Wales figure is 32 births in 2024, compared with 65 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Carlos
016334965199620102024

Decades

Carlos by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Carlos 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 #1040 140 5
2010s #735 451 10
2000s #509 537 10
1990s #483 162 4

Geography

Where Carlos is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Carlos. 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.

Carlos ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #416 in 2018.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Carlos in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#727 in 2024

11 years of NRS records, 39 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#416 in 2018

3 years of NISRA records, 9 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Carlos

  • Carlos Chan

    actor; singer

    Hong Kong actor

    1986-

  • Carlos Logan

    association football player

    British association football player (born 1985)

    1985-

  • Carlos Roca

    association football player

    English footballer (born 1984)

    1984-

  • Carlos Monleon

    visual artist

    1983-

  • Carlos Newton

    mixed martial arts fighter

    Canadian mixed martial artist

    1976-

  • Carlos Acosta

    ballet dancer

    ballet dancer

    1973-

  • Carlos Mier y Terán

    alpine skier

    Mexican alpine skier

    1973-

  • Carlos Uzal

    basketball player

    basketball player

    1971-

Related

Names similar to Carlos

FAQ

Carlos: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Carlos was ranked #968 for boys in England and Wales, with 32 births registered.

When was Carlos most popular?

The peak year on record was 2003, with 65 babies registered as Carlos in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Carlos?

A masculine name of Spanish origin meaning "man, manly".

How many people are called Carlos in the UK?

A total of 1,290 babies have been registered as Carlos across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 39 more in Scotland and 9 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Carlos most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Carlos ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #416 in 2018. 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.