Carl

Last seen for girls in 1994 at #11,778 · #1,132 for boys in 2025, 187 births
Given to boys 99.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1915 · 6,613 births
Debut · boys
372 births
In top 100 · boys
100 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
504,827
since 1880

Carl over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201956peak #22, 1915boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,132187
2024#1,031216
2023#964233
2022#1,012220
2021#922246
2020#812286
2019#748319
2018#701345
2017#628415
2016#605445
2015#599457
2014#612436
2013#578446
2012#536487
2011#588426
2010#563449
2009#521519
2008#491559
2007#445628
2006#427658
2005#415653
2004#369752
2003#354775
2002#349784
2001#318882
2000#304988
1999#290996
1998#2601,147
1997#2601,093
1996#2501,184
1995#2131,380
1994#11,7786#2041,415
1993#10,5887#1931,585
1992#7,51211#1811,782
1991#10,2717#1681,922
1990#11,4096#1452,189
1989#5,54515#1352,259
1988#3,22530#1262,318
1987#3,10130#1262,223
1986#2,72435#1142,444
1985#3,24627#1122,526
1984#3,32925#1082,567
1983#2,59534#1062,605
1982#2,18546#1042,802
1981#2,77432#1062,793
1980#2,65135#1032,935
1979#3,44223#1002,898
1978#2,23741#1002,606
1977#2,30739#992,615
1976#2,48632#952,670
1975#1,87748#912,810
1974#2,25435#892,895
1973#1,85745#903,013
1972#2,13536#853,406
1971#2,17537#724,055
1970#1,75551#664,402
1969#1,89743#624,522
1968#1,90939#594,645
1967#1,84840#574,890
1966#1,70044#565,227
1965#2,06432#545,797
1964#1,91838#556,661
1963#1,89438#547,128
1962#1,98934#586,854
1961#1,89337#567,255
1960#1,50154#537,808
1959#1,82037#547,501
1958#1,63043#517,734
1957#1,98930#498,192
1956#1,89732#488,313
1955#1,87732#478,294
1954#1,94929#478,137
1953#2,12224#447,829
1952#2,41119#457,823
1951#1,52838#437,641
1950#1,79428#447,288
1949#1,56435#437,689
1948#1,59834#427,829
1947#1,69732#408,050
1946#1,80825#397,380
1945#1,62126#396,314
1944#1,48630#366,825
1943#1,29140#337,472
1942#1,43832#367,268
1941#1,38431#297,160
1940#1,34731#326,752
1939#1,06645#306,593
1938#1,28832#296,849
1937#1,19636#286,914
1936#1,09641#276,591
1935#1,44926#286,693
1934#1,14838#286,683
1933#1,19735#286,188
1932#1,04346#286,714
1931#94154#286,583
1930#95658#266,951
1929#1,03250#286,895
1928#95461#286,946
1927#1,01057#267,277
1926#1,09647#266,939
1925#1,07450#287,061
1924#1,15146#277,085
1923#1,08449#286,871
1922#1,10348#306,690
1921#1,18442#307,077
1920#1,11945#277,010
1919#1,09045#296,474
1918#1,00551#257,004
1917#1,04046#246,699
1916#1,12739#236,785
1915#1,28530#226,613
1914#1,03433#244,807
1913#1,09125#233,935
1912#1,21819#243,224
1911#1,30013#261,574
1910#1,33512#261,339
1909#1,36910#251,215
1908#1,4399#291,074
1907#1,3849#271,018
1906#1,7276#27951
1905#1,16211#26959
1904#1,4867#25953
1903#1,5926#23910
1902#1,2199#24952
1901#1,1369#24817
1900#1,23110#291,016
1899#1,2787#25774
1898#1,2638#24919
1897#93112#25828
1896#1,5835#25852
1895#85814#22851
1894#99810#22861
1893#1,1757#24786
1892#95810#25808
1891#89310#24675
1890#1,0068#27693
1889#1,1476#27704
1888#83710#29675
1887#9377#28588
1886#9936#32556
1885#1,0475#34494
1884#36521
1883#32480
1882#34478
1881#41359
1880#42372
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Carl was already there! It came in at #42, and was given to 372 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2021–2025, when fewer than 250 boys a year got the name.

See more about Carl
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 101 spots since 2024 (#1,031#1,132)
  • 320 spots since 2020 (#812#1,132)
  • 533 spots since 2015 (#599#1,132)
  • Biggest jump: 52 spots in 2012 (#588#536)
  • Biggest drop: 110 spots in 2021 (#812#922)
Rise & fade · boys
35 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1915 at #22 (6,613 births)
  • Births halved by 1973, 58 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 100 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 100 yrs · run 1880–1979
  • Top 1,000: 143 yrs · run 1880–2021
Share of babies · boys
1 in 128
  • Highest: 1 in 128 boys born in 1915 were named Carl (0.78%)
  • Latest: 1 in 9,134 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 15.6% of all boys named Carl (78,752) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s5,227#27 (1889)#34
1890s8,047#22 (1894)#24
1900s9,865#23 (1903)#26
1910s48,454#22 (1915)#25
1920s69,851#26 (1927)#28
1930s66,759#26 (1930)#28
1940s72,739#29 (1941)#37
1950s78,752#43 (1951)#47
1960s60,787#53 (1960)#56
1970s31,370#66 (1970)#89
1980s25,472#103 (1980)#114
1990s14,693#145 (1990)#216
2000s7,198#304 (2000)#399
2010s4,225#536 (2012)#616
2020s1,388#812 (2020)#979

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Carl in 1956

girls
#1,897
32 births · 1 in 62,741 girls
boys
#48
8,313 births · 1 in 254 boys

Top girls' names in 1956

  1. #1Mary61,741
  2. #2Debra48,324
  3. #3Linda48,084
  4. #4Deborah47,834
  5. #5Susan46,558
  6. #6Patricia43,329
  7. #7Karen40,052
  8. #8Cynthia32,339
  9. #9Barbara32,302
  10. #10Donna29,852
  11. #1,897Carl32

Top boys' names in 1956

  1. #1Michael90,691
  2. #2James84,897
  3. #3Robert83,924
  4. #4David81,652
  5. #5John80,804
  6. #6William58,991
  7. #7Richard52,915
  8. #8Mark48,828
  9. #9Thomas44,836
  10. #10Steven38,413
  11. #48Carl8,313
More about 1956

girls

2,007,703 girls got a published name in 1956; 1 in 62,741 of them was named Carl, which outranked 72.5% of the 6,891 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carl
  1. #1,871Velinda33
  2. #1,871Verda33
  3. #1,871Wayne33
  4. #1,897Carl32
  5. #1,897Alesia32
  6. #1,897Artie32
  7. #1,897Candance32
  8. #1,931Alpha31
  9. #1,931Berniece31
  10. #1,931Charlyn31

Tied with 33 names at #1,897; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 993Sheena#1,839#846
  2. 770Glendora#1,733#963
  3. 684Leesa#1,209#525
  4. 543Marisa#1,074#531
  5. 537Dani#1,383#846
Fallers
  1. 513Sheilah#663#1,176
  2. 481Jeryl#768#1,249
  3. 344Jacalyn#496#840
  4. 325Roni#536#861
  5. 314Florine#984#1,298

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,115,302 boys got a published name in 1956; 1 in 254 of them was named Carl, which outranked 98.9% of the 4,455 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carl
  1. #45Wayne8,717
  2. #46Danny8,565
  3. #47Christopher8,384
  4. #48Carl8,313
  5. #49Gerald7,991
  6. #50Dale7,720
  7. #51Craig7,422
Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 1,847Jace#2,764#917
  2. 678Rich#1,572#894
  3. 590Broderick#1,273#683
  4. 559Elvis#921#362
  5. 513Tracey#1,419#906
Fallers
  1. 351Adolphus#906#1,257
  2. 336Randolf#949#1,285
  3. 279Cordell#792#1,071
  4. 272Rudolfo#885#1,157
  5. 269Aurelio#949#1,218

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1956