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
#22
1915 · 6,613 births
Debut · boys
1880
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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201936peak #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.

Where Carl is popular in 1936

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #23 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 59 boysAKMaine: #34 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 152 boysMEVermont: #43 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 175 boysVTNew Hampshire: #57 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 280 boysNHWashington: #46 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 195 boysWAIdaho: #29 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 127 boysIDMontana: #41 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 156 boysMTNorth Dakota: #74 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 270 boysNDMinnesota: #52 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 248 boysMNIllinois: #28 for boys · 365 births · 1 in 143 boysILWisconsin: #39 for boys · 137 births · 1 in 172 boysWIMichigan: #26 for boys · 305 births · 1 in 131 boysMINew York: #43 for boys · 475 births · 1 in 177 boysNYMassachusetts: #43 for boys · 127 births · 1 in 220 boysMARhode Island: #41 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 200 boysRIOregon: #40 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 183 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Carl, so not publishedNVWyoming: #24 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 104 boysWYSouth Dakota: #57 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 230 boysSDIowa: #41 for boys · 103 births · 1 in 189 boysIAIndiana: #21 for boys · 207 births · 1 in 116 boysINOhio: #24 for boys · 431 births · 1 in 110 boysOHPennsylvania: #23 for boys · 606 births · 1 in 118 boysPANew Jersey: #36 for boys · 138 births · 1 in 174 boysNJConnecticut: #42 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 183 boysCTCalifornia: #36 for boys · 226 births · 1 in 169 boysCAUtah: #49 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 211 boysUTColorado: #37 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 174 boysCONebraska: #64 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 272 boysNEMissouri: #22 for boys · 269 births · 1 in 97 boysMOKentucky: #20 for boys · 255 births · 1 in 99 boysKYWest Virginia: #21 for boys · 181 births · 1 in 99 boysWVVirginia: #24 for boys · 179 births · 1 in 122 boysVAMaryland: #22 for boys · 96 births · 1 in 118 boysMDDelaware: #40 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 177 boysDEArizona: #52 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 199 boysAZNew Mexico: #96 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 368 boysNMKansas: #27 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 137 boysKSArkansas: #20 for boys · 162 births · 1 in 104 boysARTennessee: #24 for boys · 205 births · 1 in 125 boysTNNorth Carolina: #27 for boys · 240 births · 1 in 142 boysNCSouth Carolina: #41 for boys · 99 births · 1 in 187 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #34 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 161 boysDCOklahoma: #21 for boys · 226 births · 1 in 94 boysOKLouisiana: #44 for boys · 97 births · 1 in 202 boysLAMississippi: #43 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 202 boysMSAlabama: #36 for boys · 143 births · 1 in 188 boysALGeorgia: #46 for boys · 125 births · 1 in 228 boysGAHawaii: #58 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 232 boysHITexas: #36 for boys · 278 births · 1 in 200 boysTXFlorida: #26 for boys · 92 births · 1 in 136 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Kentucky#20 · 1 in 99
  2. Arkansas#20 · 1 in 104
  3. Oklahoma#21 · 1 in 94
  4. West Virginia#21 · 1 in 99
  5. Indiana#21 · 1 in 116

Best ever in a state: #5 in Alaska, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Arkansas#201621 in 104
Kentucky#202551 in 99
Indiana#212071 in 116
Oklahoma#212261 in 94
West Virginia#211811 in 99
Maryland#22961 in 118
Missouri#222691 in 97
Alaska#2361 in 59
Pennsylvania#236061 in 118
Ohio#244311 in 110
Tennessee#242051 in 125
Virginia#241791 in 122
Wyoming#24161 in 104
Florida#26921 in 136
Michigan#263051 in 131
Kansas#27981 in 137
North Carolina#272401 in 142
Illinois#283651 in 143
Idaho#29321 in 127
District of Columbia#34281 in 161
Maine#34411 in 152
Alabama#361431 in 188
California#362261 in 169
New Jersey#361381 in 174
Texas#362781 in 200
Colorado#37481 in 174
Wisconsin#391371 in 172
Delaware#4081 in 177
Oregon#40331 in 183
Iowa#411031 in 189
Montana#41261 in 156
Rhode Island#41211 in 200
South Carolina#41991 in 187
Connecticut#42531 in 183
Massachusetts#431271 in 220
Mississippi#43981 in 202
New York#434751 in 177
Vermont#43141 in 175
Louisiana#44971 in 202
Georgia#461251 in 228
Washington#46521 in 195
Utah#49231 in 211
Arizona#52211 in 199
Minnesota#52841 in 248
New Hampshire#57111 in 280
South Dakota#57231 in 230
Hawaii#58121 in 232
Nebraska#64381 in 272
North Dakota#74211 in 270
New Mexico#96141 in 368
Nevada———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1936

girls
#1,096
41 births · 1 in 25,375 girls
boys
#27
6,591 births · 1 in 157 boys

Top girls' names in 1936

  1. #1Mary54,377
  2. #2Shirley35,161
  3. #3Barbara31,682
  4. #4Betty25,868
  5. #5Patricia23,916
  6. #6Dorothy17,666
  7. #7Joan17,072
  8. #8Nancy16,755
  9. #9Margaret14,596
  10. #10Carol14,520
  11. #1,096Carl41

Top boys' names in 1936

  1. #1Robert58,500
  2. #2James54,694
  3. #3John47,683
  4. #4William39,398
  5. #5Richard33,494
  6. #6Charles29,101
  7. #7Donald28,639
  8. #8Thomas18,342
  9. #9George18,197
  10. #10David17,476
  11. #27Carl6,591
More about 1936

girls

1,040,390 girls got a published name in 1936; 1 in 25,375 of them was named Carl, which outranked 77.4% of the 4,856 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carl
  1. #1,081Karolyn42
  2. #1,081Myrle42
  3. #1,081Sibyl42
  4. #1,096Carl41
  5. #1,096Charolette41
  6. #1,096Claudie41
  7. #1,096Clyde41
  8. #1,115Adelia40
  9. #1,115Anastasia40
  10. #1,115Ceola40

Tied with 18 names at #1,096; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1935
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,238Shelba#3,742 → #504
  2. ↑ 662Shelby#840 → #178
  3. ↑ 600Wendy#1,418 → #818
  4. ↑ 588Deanna#1,356 → #768
  5. ↑ 546Shari#1,514 → #968
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,028Norita#713 → #1,741
  2. ↓ 506Vernetta#974 → #1,480
  3. ↓ 461Ozella#984 → #1,445
  4. ↓ 400Shirleyann#896 → #1,296
  5. ↓ 342Idell#925 → #1,267

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

boys

1,037,205 boys got a published name in 1936; 1 in 157 of them was named Carl, which outranked 99.3% of the 4,037 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carl
  1. #24Bobby7,735
  2. #25Larry7,611
  3. #26Walter7,536
  4. #27Carl6,591
  5. #28Henry6,447
  6. #29Eugene6,376
  7. #30Arthur6,264
Biggest movers since 1935
Risers
  1. ↑ 802Errol#1,708 → #906
  2. ↑ 644Sergio#1,584 → #940
  3. ↑ 601Brice#1,494 → #893
  4. ↑ 537Windell#1,390 → #853
  5. ↑ 529Kim#1,390 → #861
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,082Stafford#980 → #2,062
  2. ↓ 889Darwyn#750 → #1,639
  3. ↓ 461Hunter#956 → #1,417
  4. ↓ 399Orvil#844 → #1,243
  5. ↓ 370Rosendo#956 → #1,326

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

See the top 100 for 1936 →