Karl

Last seen for girls in 1993 at #8,719 · #1,585 for boys in 2025, 107 births
Given to boys 99.1% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1960 · 2,594 births
Debut · boys
21 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
100,836
since 1880

Karl over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Karl has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201957peak #135, 1960boys
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#1,585107
2024#1,68599
2023#1,681101
2022#1,425128
2021#1,529115
2020#1,568104
2019#1,283145
2018#1,282143
2017#1,287141
2016#1,149167
2015#1,075184
2014#1,147165
2013#1,096169
2012#1,135161
2011#1,078173
2010#1,086177
2009#966207
2008#1,019188
2007#859242
2006#769270
2005#752265
2004#695281
2003#658300
2002#608330
2001#580351
2000#564366
1999#534390
1998#481455
1997#459483
1996#446504
1995#391598
1994#381612
1993#8,7199#357662
1992#336738
1991#11,5096#317811
1990#11,4096#295858
1989#5,83614#273908
1988#3,89323#274843
1987#3,74323#260853
1986#3,13529#248904
1985#2,93931#242961
1984#3,42324#244896
1983#2,91029#242911
1982#3,17227#240973
1981#3,14727#2261,062
1980#3,41124#2251,060
1979#3,66821#234956
1978#3,38822#232900
1977#3,08325#230941
1976#2,86526#234868
1975#2,88125#226904
1974#2,75726#2141,004
1973#2,34932#220985
1972#2,68026#1991,167
1971#2,95523#1911,323
1970#2,93823#1771,575
1969#2,05837#1801,565
1968#2,70822#1681,598
1967#2,21229#1591,695
1966#2,83919#1581,792
1965#2,83319#1542,019
1964#3,00018#1352,403
1963#2,54323#1362,513
1962#2,66821#1422,457
1961#3,06017#1382,543
1960#2,72920#1352,594
1959#2,67819#1482,354
1958#3,23214#1462,348
1957#5,3776#1462,338
1956#3,18614#1502,060
1955#4,7407#1491,935
1954#1661,736
1953#1631,653
1952#1701,564
1951#4,3857#1751,439
1950#1721,304
1949#1721,321
1948#1791,187
1947#4,7646#1841,119
1946#185998
1945#196758
1944#186837
1943#4,6915#182907
1942#4,6225#179878
1941#177864
1940#174855
1939#171866
1938#162985
1937#162907
1936#4,1815#165830
1935#171812
1934#3,8026#186689
1933#4,2185#181681
1932#193670
1931#3,4977#204635
1930#3,6587#206648
1929#3,6827#207637
1928#3,4368#219599
1927#3,5618#211630
1926#226595
1925#4,0287#225589
1924#5,0615#232584
1923#235565
1922#246527
1921#233573
1920#245502
1919#3,8177#234515
1918#209600
1917#180673
1916#3,2588#176685
1915#3,7956#160715
1914#161548
1913#177387
1912#182323
1911#194156
1910#25292
1909#207102
1908#20997
1907#21389
1906#169108
1905#24165
1904#23067
1903#21270
1902#22365
1901#23554
1900#23075
1899#23849
1898#23953
1897#23257
1896#23460
1895#21167
1894#19973
1893#21563
1892#22859
1891#20261
1890#24647
1889#22950
1888#20671
1887#22449
1886#24848
1885#24844
1884#29634
1883#28433
1882#27240
1881#29629
1880#37321
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Karl was already there! It came in at #373, and was given to 21 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1881, when fewer than 30 boys a year got the name.

See more about Karl
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 100 spots since 2024 (#1,685#1,585)
  • 17 spots since 2020 (#1,568#1,585)
  • 510 spots since 2015 (#1,075#1,585)
  • Biggest jump: 77 spots in 1881 (#373#296)
  • Biggest drop: 160 spots in 2008 (#859#1,019)
Rise & fade · boys
80 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1960 at #135 (2,594 births)
  • Births halved by 1972, 12 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 129 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 129 yrs · run 1880–2007
Share of babies · boys
1 in 808
  • Highest: 1 in 808 boys born in 1963 were named Karl (0.12%)
  • Latest: 1 in 15,963 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #135 in 1960, was only 1 in 822 (0.12%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1960s
  • 21.0% of all boys named Karl (21,179) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s419#206 (1888)#268
1890s589#199 (1894)#224
1900s792#169 (1906)#217
1910s4,694#160 (1915)#193
1920s5,801#207 (1929)#228
1930s7,723#162 (1938)#180
1940s9,724#172 (1949)#181
1950s18,731#146 (1958)#159
1960s21,179#135 (1960)#151
1970s10,623#177 (1970)#216
1980s9,371#225 (1980)#247
1990s6,111#295 (1990)#400
2000s2,800#564 (2000)#747
2010s1,625#1,075 (2015)#1,162
2020s654#1,425 (2022)#1,579

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.

Karl in 1957

girls
#5,377
6 births · 1 in 340,809 girls
boys
#146
2,338 births · 1 in 923 boys

Top girls' names in 1957

  1. #1Mary61,102
  2. #2Susan45,954
  3. #3Linda44,517
  4. #4Debra42,728
  5. #5Karen40,591
  6. #6Deborah40,096
  7. #7Cynthia39,340
  8. #8Patricia39,283
  9. #9Barbara29,692
  10. #10Donna28,042
  11. #5,377Karl6

Top boys' names in 1957

  1. #1Michael92,781
  2. #2James84,337
  3. #3David82,403
  4. #4Robert81,765
  5. #5John79,033
  6. #6William56,852
  7. #7Mark52,841
  8. #8Richard52,446
  9. #9Thomas44,625
  10. #10Steven36,842
  11. #146Karl2,338
More about 1957

girls

2,044,851 girls got a published name in 1957; 1 in 340,809 of them was named Karl, which outranked 23.3% of the 7,015 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Karl
  1. #4,918Zenia7
  2. #4,918Zonda7
  3. #4,918Zondra7
  4. #5,377Karl6
  5. #5,377Abbye6
  6. #5,377Adam6
  7. #5,377Adelfa6
  8. #6,086Adrean5
  9. #6,086Agustina5
  10. #6,086Aisha5

Tied with 708 names at #5,377; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1956
Risers
  1. 2,944Tammi#3,696#752
  2. 1,310Tamela#2,151#841
  3. 1,298Tammie#1,662#364
  4. 993Tia#1,968#975
  5. 676Tamera#1,287#611
Fallers
  1. 423Corliss#878#1,301
  2. 399Glynis#977#1,376
  3. 367Merrie#977#1,344
  4. 303Taryn#935#1,238
  5. 291Glendora#963#1,254

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

boys

2,157,236 boys got a published name in 1957; 1 in 923 of them was named Karl, which outranked 96.8% of the 4,552 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Karl
  1. #143Todd2,405
  2. #144Alvin2,388
  3. #145Perry2,369
  4. #146Karl2,338
  5. #147Warren2,333
  6. #148Leroy2,316
  7. #149Guy2,302
Biggest movers since 1956
Risers
  1. 714Dion#1,642#928
  2. 404Wes#1,317#913
  3. 371Antoine#1,232#861
  4. 340Domenick#1,335#995
  5. 329Mitch#868#539
Fallers
  1. 458Lannie#999#1,457
  2. 402Desi#986#1,388
  3. 354Gavin#924#1,278
  4. 317Murphy#917#1,234
  5. 288Eliot#897#1,185

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

See the top 100 for 1957