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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201972peak #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 1972

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #65 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 269 boysAKMaine: #84 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 428 boysMEVermont: #89 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 425 boysVTNew Hampshire: #79 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 466 boysNHWashington: #119 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 641 boysWAIdaho: #119 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 583 boysIDMontana: #99 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 466 boysMTNorth Dakota: #105 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 514 boysNDMinnesota: #131 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 992 boysMNIllinois: #71 for boys · 197 births · 1 in 420 boysILWisconsin: #108 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 760 boysWIMichigan: #79 for boys · 155 births · 1 in 444 boysMINew York: #85 for boys · 236 births · 1 in 516 boysNYMassachusetts: #80 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 562 boysMARhode Island: #76 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 464 boysRIOregon: #95 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 468 boysORNevada: #78 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 340 boysNVWyoming: #94 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 362 boysWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Carl, so not publishedSDIowa: #106 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 618 boysIAIndiana: #69 for boys · 115 births · 1 in 362 boysINOhio: #68 for boys · 197 births · 1 in 413 boysOHPennsylvania: #62 for boys · 209 births · 1 in 379 boysPANew Jersey: #62 for boys · 120 births · 1 in 382 boysNJConnecticut: #79 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 510 boysCTCalifornia: #116 for boys · 257 births · 1 in 584 boysCAUtah: #85 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 391 boysUTColorado: #78 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 394 boysCONebraska: #146 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 982 boysNEMissouri: #83 for boys · 82 births · 1 in 429 boysMOKentucky: #67 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 316 boysKYWest Virginia: #54 for boys · 51 births · 1 in 271 boysWVVirginia: #67 for boys · 90 births · 1 in 371 boysVAMaryland: #57 for boys · 71 births · 1 in 332 boysMDDelaware: #61 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 307 boysDEArizona: #105 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 498 boysAZNew Mexico: #90 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 384 boysNMKansas: #94 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 435 boysKSArkansas: #76 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 340 boysARTennessee: #77 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 365 boysTNNorth Carolina: #88 for boys · 96 births · 1 in 433 boysNCSouth Carolina: #99 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 495 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #65 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 292 boysDCOklahoma: #76 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 320 boysOKLouisiana: #78 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 355 boysLAMississippi: #79 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 338 boysMSAlabama: #89 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 406 boysALGeorgia: #90 for boys · 100 births · 1 in 405 boysGAHawaii: #88 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 378 boysHITexas: #126 for boys · 189 births · 1 in 563 boysTXFlorida: #100 for boys · 97 births · 1 in 520 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. West Virginia#54 · 1 in 271
  2. Maryland#57 · 1 in 332
  3. Delaware#61 · 1 in 307
  4. Pennsylvania#62 · 1 in 379
  5. New Jersey#62 · 1 in 382

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
West Virginia#54511 in 271
Maryland#57711 in 332
Delaware#61121 in 307
New Jersey#621201 in 382
Pennsylvania#622091 in 379
Alaska#65101 in 269
District of Columbia#65321 in 292
Kentucky#67841 in 316
Virginia#67901 in 371
Ohio#681971 in 413
Indiana#691151 in 362
Illinois#711971 in 420
Arkansas#76441 in 340
Oklahoma#76591 in 320
Rhode Island#76131 in 464
Tennessee#77881 in 365
Colorado#78461 in 394
Louisiana#78881 in 355
Nevada#78101 in 340
Connecticut#79351 in 510
Michigan#791551 in 444
Mississippi#79591 in 338
New Hampshire#79111 in 466
Massachusetts#80671 in 562
Missouri#83821 in 429
Maine#84171 in 428
New York#852361 in 516
Utah#85311 in 391
Hawaii#88161 in 378
North Carolina#88961 in 433
Alabama#89681 in 406
Vermont#8971 in 425
Georgia#901001 in 405
New Mexico#90231 in 384
Kansas#94331 in 435
Wyoming#9461 in 362
Oregon#95311 in 468
Montana#99101 in 466
South Carolina#99441 in 495
Florida#100971 in 520
Arizona#105341 in 498
North Dakota#10591 in 514
Iowa#106311 in 618
Wisconsin#108401 in 760
California#1162571 in 584
Idaho#119101 in 583
Washington#119341 in 641
Texas#1261891 in 563
Minnesota#131271 in 992
Nebraska#146111 in 982
South Dakota———

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 1972

girls
#2,135
36 births · 1 in 42,257 girls
boys
#85
3,406 births · 1 in 476 boys

Top girls' names in 1972

  1. #1Jennifer63,600
  2. #2Michelle29,285
  3. #3Lisa27,543
  4. #4Kimberly26,282
  5. #5Amy25,873
  6. #6Angela23,561
  7. #7Melissa22,494
  8. #8Stephanie16,890
  9. #9Heather16,320
  10. #10Nicole15,755
  11. #2,135Carl36

Top boys' names in 1972

  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
  5. #5John43,158
  6. #6Robert43,013
  7. #7Jason37,423
  8. #8Brian36,306
  9. #9William30,510
  10. #10Matthew22,928
  11. #85Carl3,406
More about 1972

girls

1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 42,257 of them was named Carl, which outranked 77.9% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carl
  1. #2,093Trinidad37
  2. #2,093Trish37
  3. #2,093Zulma37
  4. #2,135Carl36
  5. #2,135Alisia36
  6. #2,135Alvina36
  7. #2,135Anisa36
  8. #2,173Alishia35
  9. #2,173Ayesha35
  10. #2,173Candyce35

Tied with 37 names at #2,135; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. ↑ 5,804Camisha#6,619 → #815
  2. ↑ 3,921Catina#4,123 → #202
  3. ↑ 1,842Cherilyn#2,665 → #823
  4. ↑ 1,789Chasity#2,542 → #753
  5. ↑ 1,694Keena#2,542 → #848
Fallers
  1. ↓ 517Shayla#836 → #1,353
  2. ↓ 428Raina#798 → #1,226
  3. ↓ 280Kendall#742 → #1,022
  4. ↓ 275Alycia#951 → #1,226
  5. ↓ 255Charisse#727 → #982

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

boys

1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 476 of them was named Carl, which outranked 98.5% of the 5,751 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carl
  1. #82Chris3,472
  2. #83Marc3,465
  3. #84Carlos3,434
  4. #85Carl3,406
  5. #86Erik3,398
  6. #87Danny3,306
  7. #88Jesse3,226
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,755Demond#3,146 → #391
  2. ↑ 1,286Cade#2,279 → #993
  3. ↑ 905Vidal#1,526 → #621
  4. ↑ 855Damond#1,784 → #929
  5. ↑ 849Kareem#1,254 → #405
Fallers
  1. ↓ 413Rich#914 → #1,327
  2. ↓ 401Monroe#947 → #1,348
  3. ↓ 317Laura#990 → #1,307
  4. ↓ 309Von#976 → #1,285
  5. ↓ 309Westley#998 → #1,307

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

See the top 100 for 1972 →