Meaning not yet researched.
Carl: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 187 in 2025. Its best rank was #22 in 1915.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #22 in 1915; #1,134 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Carl in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,134 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1915, at #22.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Carl: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 187 boys in 2025. Peak: #22 in 1915 · most boys in one year: 8,313 (1956).
In 2025, 187 US boys were named Carl, making it the 1,134th most common boys’ name of the year, down 102 places from #1,032 in 2024. That is 29 fewer than the 216 boys named Carl in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #22, reached in 1915. The most boys given the name in a single year was 8,313, in 1956. For comparison, it was #600 in 2015 and #44 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Carl in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 372 babies with the name. In all, 508,017 US babies have been given the name, 0.6% of them girls and 99% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1950s, with 79,064 babies named Carl.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 2,912 US boys were named Carl; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 445. In 2025 that was about 1 in 9,134 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Carl ranked highest in Kansas in 2025, at #356 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Charles (2,447,135 babies since 1880), Carlos (309,076 babies since 1880), Karl (101,751 babies since 1880) and Carlo (16,000 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Carle, Karle and Kaarlo are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Carle (606), Karle (150), Kaarlo (5), Cairl (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Carl in the open dataset we use.
Carl is listed as a nickname for Carlton, Charles.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 35 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 10 | #356 | — |
| Kentucky | 8 | #531 | #463 |
| Oregon | 5 | #629 | #568 |
| New Jersey | 9 | #718 | #631 |
| Ohio | 12 | #719 | #479 |
| Indiana | 8 | #719 | #511 |
| Tennessee | 8 | #791 | #401 |
| Missouri | 6 | #802 | #617 |
| Michigan | 8 | #843 | #457 |
| Illinois | 9 | #879 | #677 |
| North Carolina | 8 | #952 | #456 |
| New York | 9 | #1,225 | #452 |
| Florida | 9 | #1,273 | #702 |
| Texas | 14 | #1,356 | #684 |
| Georgia | 5 | #1,384 | #670 |
| California | 12 | #1,456 | #699 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 187 | #1,134 |
| 2024 | — | — | 216 | #1,032 |
| 2023 | — | — | 233 | #964 |
| 2022 | — | — | 220 | #1,013 |
| 2021 | — | — | 246 | #922 |
| 2020 | — | — | 286 | #813 |
| 2019 | — | — | 319 | #748 |
| 2018 | — | — | 345 | #701 |
| 2017 | — | — | 415 | #628 |
| 2016 | — | — | 445 | #605 |
| 2015 | — | — | 457 | #600 |
| 2014 | — | — | 436 | #613 |
| 2013 | — | — | 446 | #579 |
| 2012 | — | — | 487 | #537 |
| 2011 | — | — | 426 | #589 |
| 2010 | — | — | 449 | #563 |
| 2009 | — | — | 519 | #521 |
| 2008 | — | — | 559 | #491 |
| 2007 | — | — | 628 | #445 |
| 2006 | — | — | 658 | #427 |
| 2005 | — | — | 653 | #415 |
| 2004 | — | — | 752 | #369 |
| 2003 | — | — | 775 | #354 |
| 2002 | — | — | 784 | #349 |
| 2001 | — | — | 882 | #318 |
| 2000 | — | — | 988 | #304 |
| 1999 | — | — | 996 | #290 |
| 1998 | — | — | 1,147 | #260 |
| 1997 | — | — | 1,093 | #260 |
| 1996 | — | — | 1,184 | #250 |
| 1995 | — | — | 1,380 | #213 |
| 1994 | 6 | #12,020 | 1,415 | #204 |
| 1993 | 7 | #10,786 | 1,585 | #193 |
| 1992 | 11 | #7,596 | 1,782 | #181 |
| 1991 | 7 | #10,436 | 1,922 | #168 |
| 1990 | 6 | #11,627 | 2,189 | #145 |
| 1989 | 15 | #5,584 | 2,259 | #135 |
| 1988 | 30 | #3,236 | 2,318 | #126 |
| 1987 | 30 | #3,115 | 2,223 | #126 |
| 1986 | 35 | #2,737 | 2,444 | #114 |
| 1985 | 27 | #3,260 | 2,526 | #112 |
| 1984 | 25 | #3,338 | 2,567 | #108 |
| 1983 | 34 | #2,600 | 2,605 | #106 |
| 1982 | 46 | #2,188 | 2,802 | #104 |
| 1981 | 32 | #2,787 | 2,793 | #106 |
| 1980 | 35 | #2,658 | 2,935 | #103 |
| 1979 | 23 | #3,454 | 2,898 | #100 |
| 1978 | 41 | #2,241 | 2,606 | #100 |
| 1977 | 39 | #2,310 | 2,615 | #99 |
| 1976 | 32 | #2,492 | 2,670 | #95 |
| 1975 | 48 | #1,881 | 2,810 | #91 |
| 1974 | 35 | #2,259 | 2,895 | #89 |
| 1973 | 45 | #1,859 | 3,013 | #90 |
| 1972 | 36 | #2,139 | 3,406 | #85 |
| 1971 | 37 | #2,177 | 4,055 | #72 |
| 1970 | 51 | #1,760 | 4,402 | #66 |
| 1969 | 43 | #1,901 | 4,522 | #62 |
| 1968 | 39 | #1,913 | 4,645 | #59 |
| 1967 | 40 | #1,851 | 4,890 | #57 |
| 1966 | 44 | #1,701 | 5,227 | #56 |
| 1965 | 32 | #2,067 | 5,797 | #54 |
| 1964 | 38 | #1,921 | 6,661 | #55 |
| 1963 | 38 | #1,897 | 7,128 | #54 |
| 1962 | 34 | #1,995 | 6,854 | #58 |
| 1961 | 37 | #1,896 | 7,255 | #56 |
| 1960 | 54 | #1,502 | 7,808 | #53 |
| 1959 | 37 | #1,825 | 7,501 | #54 |
| 1958 | 43 | #1,632 | 7,734 | #51 |
| 1957 | 30 | #1,994 | 8,192 | #49 |
| 1956 | 32 | #1,900 | 8,313 | #48 |
| 1955 | 32 | #1,884 | 8,294 | #47 |
| 1954 | 29 | #1,950 | 8,137 | #47 |
| 1953 | 24 | #2,128 | 7,829 | #44 |
| 1952 | 19 | #2,417 | 7,823 | #45 |
| 1951 | 38 | #1,530 | 7,641 | #43 |
| 1950 | 28 | #1,794 | 7,288 | #44 |
| 1949 | 35 | #1,564 | 7,689 | #43 |
| 1948 | 34 | #1,603 | 7,829 | #42 |
| 1947 | 32 | #1,702 | 8,050 | #40 |
| 1946 | 25 | #1,816 | 7,380 | #39 |
| 1945 | 26 | #1,625 | 6,314 | #39 |
| 1944 | 30 | #1,492 | 6,825 | #36 |
| 1943 | 40 | #1,294 | 7,472 | #33 |
| 1942 | 32 | #1,446 | 7,268 | #36 |
| 1941 | 31 | #1,387 | 7,160 | #29 |
| 1940 | 31 | #1,354 | 6,752 | #32 |
| 1939 | 45 | #1,066 | 6,593 | #30 |
| 1938 | 32 | #1,288 | 6,849 | #29 |
| 1937 | 36 | #1,199 | 6,914 | #28 |
| 1936 | 41 | #1,096 | 6,591 | #27 |
| 1935 | 26 | #1,453 | 6,693 | #28 |
| 1934 | 38 | #1,150 | 6,683 | #28 |
| 1933 | 35 | #1,203 | 6,188 | #28 |
| 1932 | 46 | #1,045 | 6,714 | #28 |
| 1931 | 54 | #942 | 6,583 | #28 |
| 1930 | 58 | #959 | 6,951 | #26 |
| 1929 | 50 | #1,032 | 6,895 | #28 |
| 1928 | 61 | #956 | 6,946 | #28 |
| 1927 | 57 | #1,010 | 7,277 | #26 |
| 1926 | 47 | #1,098 | 6,939 | #26 |
| 1925 | 50 | #1,075 | 7,061 | #28 |
| 1924 | 46 | #1,152 | 7,085 | #27 |
| 1923 | 49 | #1,088 | 6,871 | #28 |
| 1922 | 48 | #1,104 | 6,690 | #30 |
| 1921 | 42 | #1,188 | 7,077 | #30 |
| 1920 | 45 | #1,122 | 7,010 | #27 |
| 1919 | 45 | #1,092 | 6,474 | #29 |
| 1918 | 51 | #1,007 | 7,004 | #25 |
| 1917 | 46 | #1,043 | 6,699 | #24 |
| 1916 | 39 | #1,130 | 6,785 | #23 |
| 1915 | 30 | #1,290 | 6,613 | #22 |
| 1914 | 33 | #1,036 | 4,807 | #24 |
| 1913 | 25 | #1,096 | 3,935 | #23 |
| 1912 | 19 | #1,225 | 3,224 | #24 |
| 1911 | 13 | #1,314 | 1,574 | #26 |
| 1910 | 12 | #1,345 | 1,339 | #26 |
| 1909 | 10 | #1,379 | 1,215 | #25 |
| 1908 | 9 | #1,458 | 1,074 | #29 |
| 1907 | 9 | #1,403 | 1,018 | #27 |
| 1906 | 6 | #1,760 | 951 | #27 |
| 1905 | 11 | #1,171 | 959 | #26 |
| 1904 | 7 | #1,509 | 953 | #25 |
| 1903 | 6 | #1,627 | 910 | #23 |
| 1902 | 9 | #1,234 | 952 | #24 |
| 1901 | 9 | #1,146 | 817 | #24 |
| 1900 | 10 | #1,237 | 1,016 | #29 |
| 1899 | 7 | #1,294 | 774 | #25 |
| 1898 | 8 | #1,274 | 919 | #24 |
| 1897 | 12 | #934 | 828 | #25 |
| 1896 | 5 | #1,619 | 852 | #25 |
| 1895 | 14 | #866 | 851 | #22 |
| 1894 | 10 | #1,007 | 861 | #22 |
| 1893 | 7 | #1,194 | 786 | #24 |
| 1892 | 10 | #966 | 808 | #25 |
| 1891 | 10 | #900 | 675 | #24 |
| 1890 | 8 | #1,017 | 693 | #27 |
| 1889 | 6 | #1,163 | 704 | #27 |
| 1888 | 10 | #846 | 675 | #29 |
| 1887 | 7 | #959 | 588 | #28 |
| 1886 | 6 | #1,005 | 556 | #32 |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,066 | 494 | #34 |
| 1884 | — | — | 521 | #36 |
| 1883 | — | — | 480 | #32 |
| 1882 | — | — | 478 | #35 |
| 1881 | — | — | 359 | #41 |
| 1880 | — | — | 372 | #42 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).