UK boy's name
Karel
A masculine Czech diminutive form of the name Charles meaning "Free man".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Karel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Karel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 6 births.
This profile covers 50 England and Wales registrations across 13 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 50 living people in the UK are called Karel. 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 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Karel ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2014, when 6 boys were registered as Karel.
- • About 50 living people in the UK are estimated to have Karel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4991
2023
Births in 2023
3
Latest year
Peak year
2014
6 births
Estimated living
50
2026
Meaning
What does Karel mean?
Karel is a male given name of Germanic origin, derived from the Old Franconian "Karl" or "Karal", which means "free man" or "husband". The name gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly after the reign of Charlemagne (742-814 AD), the famous Frankish king and Holy Roman Emperor, whose birth name was Carolus Magnus.
In the 9th century, the name Karel was introduced to the Slavic regions, where it underwent various linguistic adaptations, such as Karol in Polish and Czech, and Кирил (Kirill) in Russian. It is believed that the name Karel was brought to these regions by Christian missionaries, as it was a common practice to adopt Germanic names during the process of Christianization.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Karel can be found in the Old Czech Chronicle, which mentions a Bohemian nobleman named Karel (c. 1050-1092), who was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty and the first hereditary prince of Bohemia.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Karel, including Karel Hynek Mácha (1810-1836), a Czech romantic poet and novelist, considered one of the greatest figures in Czech literature. Another prominent bearer of the name was Karel Čapek (1890-1938), a Czech writer, playwright, and critic, who introduced the word "robot" to the English language in his science fiction play "R.U.R." (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti).
Karel Appel (1921-2006) was a Dutch painter and sculptor, widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and a founding member of the avant-garde CoBrA group. Karel Doorman (1889-1942) was a Dutch naval officer who fought heroically against the Japanese during the Battle of the Java Sea in World War II, sacrificing his life to protect a convoy of ships.
In the world of music, Karel Husa (1921-2016) was a renowned Czech-American composer and educator, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning composition "Music for Prague 1968". Karel Ančerl (1908-1973) was a Czech conductor and a leading figure in the Czech musical scene during the 20th century.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Karel over time
The chart below shows babies named Karel registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Karel, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karel by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Karel 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 | #4991 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4283 | 26 | 7 |
| 2000s | #3554 | 12 | 3 |
| 1990s | #2220 | 9 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Karel
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Karel: questions and answers
How popular is the name Karel in the UK right now?
In 2023, Karel was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Karel most popular?
The peak year on record was 2014, with 6 babies registered as Karel in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Karel?
A masculine Czech diminutive form of the name Charles meaning "Free man".
How many people are called Karel in the UK?
A total of 50 babies have been registered as Karel across the 13 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.