Carl is a North Germanic male name meaning "free man". The name originates in

Old West Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

. It is the first name of many

Kings of Sweden This is a list of Swedish kings, queens, regents and viceroys of the Kalmar Union. History The earliest record of what is generally considered to be a Swedish king appears in Tacitus' work ''Germania'', c. 100 AD (the king of the Suiones). Howe ...

including Carl XVI Gustaf. It is popular in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, and was largely popularized in the United States by

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

n and Italian (shortened from "Carlo") descendants.

Karl Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austri ...

is a Germanic spelling which is very popular in Austria, Estonia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, and was also popularized by German-speaking descendants in the USA. Other variants include the Anglo- Saxon- Frankish variant Charles, popular in Australia, Philippines, Canada, France, New Zealand, the UK and the United States, although both Karl and Carl are also widespread names in most English speaking countries; Carlo, very popular in Italy and southern Switzerland;

Carlos Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

, popular in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

; and Karol, a variant in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

List of people named Carl

Royalty and nobility

* Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the current Swedish monarch * Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland, Prince of Sweden * Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland :Most other Swedish and Norwegian royalty so named – see Carl of Sweden – are listed on English Wikipedia as ''Charles''. * Carl, Duke of Württemberg (born 1936)

As a family name

* Christian Thomsen Carl (1676–1713), Danish navy officer. Middle name also given as Thomasen, Thomesen, or Thomasen.

As a given name

* Carl Anderson (singer) (1945–2004), American singer and actor *

Carl Asercion Carl Asercion (1909–1990) was an American Hawaiian steel guitarist who was most active in the Chicago area. Biography Carl Ascercion was born in 1909 in Hawaii. His parents were of Filipino ancestry, his father was a bandmaster in the United S ...

(1909–1990), American steel guitar player * Carl Ballantine (1917–2009), American actor * Carl Barât * Carl Barks * Carl Bildt *

Carl L. Boeckmann Carl Ludwig Boeckmann (January 29, 1867 – September 21, 1923) was a Norwegian-American artist best known as a portrait painter. Biography Boeckmann was born in Oslo, Norway, the youngest of five children. In 1883, he began to study at Knud Be ...

* Carl Bradford (born 1992), American football player * Carl "Charlie" Brandt, American serial killer * Carl Brashear, U.S. Navy master diver *

Carl Byrum Carl Edward Byrum (born June 29, 1963) is a former American football running back who played three seasons with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Bills in the fifth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He playe ...

, American football player * Carl Caldenius, Swedish geologist * Carl Carlton, American singer-songwriter *

Carl Clark Carl Clark (1933–2015) was an American photographer and United States Army veteran. About Born as Carlton L. Clark in Boston, Massachusetts on 1933. Clark spent most of the latter part of his life working in Baltimore, Maryland where he captu ...

(1933–2015), American photographer *

Carl Cohen (businessman) Carl Cohen (February 15, 1913 – December 26, 1986), was an American executive in the gambling resort industry in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the 1940s through 1970s and is credited with playing an important role in the development of Las Vegas as a p ...

(1913–1986), American gambling executive and Las Vegas casino manager *

Carl Cohen (philosopher) Carl Cohen (born April 30, 1931) is an American philosopher. He is Professor of Philosophy at the Residential College of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. He is co-author of ''The Animal Rights Debate'' (Rowman and Little ...

(born 1931), professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan, philosopher, and animal rights activist *

Carl Colpaert Carl-Jan Colpaert is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Carl-Jan Colpaert was born in Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium to father Roger Colpaert, who was a member of the executive committee at Bekaert and his moth ...

* Carl Czerny, pianist *

Carl Decaluwé Carl Decaluwé (born 18 September 1960) is a Belgian politician who has been the Governor of West Flanders since 2012. He is a member of Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams. Early life Decaluwé was born in Kortrijk. He graduated from Ghent Unive ...

(born 1960), Belgian politician * Carl Dobkins Jr. (1941–2020), American singer and songwriter * Carl Douglas, Jamaican musician who wrote the disco song "Kung Fu Fighting" * Carl E. Douglas, American lawyer and member of the defense team during O.J. Simpson's murder trial *

Carl Earn Carl Earn (March 7, 1921 – April 4, 2007) was an American tennis player who competed on the amateur and professional circuits in the 1940s and 1950s. He reached as high as world No. 7 in the professional ranks in 1946. Biography Earn grew up i ...

(1921–2007), American tennis player * Carl Edwards, NASCAR Driver *

Carl Etelman Carl Edward Etelman (April 1, 1900 – December 18, 1963) was an American football back and coach. After playing college football at Tufts University in Massachusetts, he played semi-professional football for the independent St Alphonsus Athle ...

(1900–1963), American football back and coach *

Carl Fodor Carl Fodor (born November 6, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played two seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Marshall University. He was also a member of th ...

* Carl Fogarty * Carl Froch * Carl Garrigus, American football player * Carl Friedrich Gauss *Carl Giammerese (1947–), guitar player for American pop group The Buckinghams. *

Carl Granderson Carl Granderson (born December 18, 1996) is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football at Wyoming, he was signed by the Saints as an undrafted free agent i ...

(born 1996), American football player * Carl Grubert *

Carl Gunnarsson Carl Gunnarsson (born 9 November 1986) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for Linköpings HC of the Elitserien (SEL) and the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). A native o ...

, Swedish ice hockey player * Carl August Hagberg, Swedish linguist * Carl Hunter bassist in The Farm * Carl Icahn, American businessman * Carl von In der Maur (1852–1913), Austrian aristocrat and Liechtenstein government official * Carl Jenkinson, football (soccer) player * Carl Johan Ståhlberg (1865–1952), Finnish jurist and the First President of the Republic of Finland *

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, ph ...

(1875–1961), Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist, founder of analytical psychology *

Carl Karcher Carl Nicholas Karcher SMOM (January 16, 1917 – January 11, 2008) was an American businessman who founded the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain, now owned by parent company Snow Star LP. Early life Born on a farm near Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Karcher wa ...

(1917-2008) American founder of the Carl's Jr. fast food restaurant chain * Carl Kasell (1934–2018), American radio personality * Carl Laemmle (1867–1939), founder of

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

* Carl Laemmle Jr. (1908–1979), producer and businessman * Carl Lawson (American football) (born 1994), American football player * Carl J. Luksic (1921–2009), American flying ace during World War II * Carl Lutz (1895–1975), Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during WWII, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews * Carl Mann (1942–2020), American rockabilly singer *

Carl Menger Carl Menger von Wolfensgrün (; ; 28 February 1840 – 26 February 1921) was an Austrian economist and the founder of the Austrian School of economics. Menger contributed to the development of the theories of marginalism and marginal utility ...

, Austrian economist * Carl Oliver (born 1969), Bahamian sprinter and Olympic medallist * Carl Ona-Embo (born 1989), Congolese basketball player * Charles "Carl" Panzram, American serial killer * Carl Perkins (1932–1998), American singer-songwriter *

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

* Carl Posy, Israeli philosopher * Carl Pursell, American politician * Carl Reiner (1922–2020), American actor, comedian, and director * Carl Rogers, American psychologist and psychotherapist * Carl Hancock Rux, American poet, playwright, writer, singer *

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ex ...

, American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist *

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

, American poet, writer, editor *

Carl Sargeant Carl Sargeant (1968 – 7 November 2017) was a Welsh politician who was the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children in the Welsh Government. He represented the constituency of Alyn and Deeside in the National Assembly for Wales from 20 ...

(1968-2017), Welsh politician *

Carl Schueler Carl Francis Schueler (born February 26, 1956, in Newburyport, Massachusetts) is a retired male race walking, race walker from the United States. Schueler was a four time olympian and the first American to walk the 50k under 4 hours. Olympics ...

, American race walker * Carl Smith (musician) (1927–2010), American country music singer *

Carl Söderberg Carl Johan Söderberg (born 12 October 1985) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round, 49th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, and has previously played with the Boston Br ...

, Swedish ice hockey player * Carl Stockdale, American actor * Carl Heinrich Stratz, German-Russian gynecologist * Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, American actor and singer, best known as "Alfalfa" from the ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedy shorts * Carl Olof Tallgren, Finnish politician and businessman *

Carl Valeri Carl may refer to: * Carl, Georgia, city in USA * Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name * Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of ...

, Australian association football player * Carl Van Doren, American critic * Carl Maria von Weber * Carl Weathers * Carl Wieland * Carl Wilson (1946–1998), American musician and lead guitar player for The Beach Boys *

Carl Wittrock Carl Wittrock (born in Goor in 1966) is a composer, Conductor (music), conductor, music educator, violinist and clarinettist from the Netherlands. Biography Wittrock started with lessons in violin and clarinet at the school of music in Goor. ...

, Dutch composer and conductor *

Carl Voss-Schrader Carl Voss-Schrader (9 October 1880–7 February 1955) was a Finnish colonel, business director and lawyer who briefly served as the minister of interior between 17 April and 15 August 1919. Biography Voss-Schrader was born in Helsinki on 9 Octob ...

(1880–1955), Finnish colonel, business director, lawyer and interior minister *

Carl Yastrzemski Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...

(born 1939), American former baseball player * Carl Zeiss

As a stage name

* Carl Carl, stage name of Karl Andreas Bernbrunn (1787–1854), Polish-born actor and theatre director * Margarethe Carl, stage name of Margarethe Bernbrunn (1788–1861), German soprano and actress

Fictional characters

*Carl, a llama in the web series ''

Llamas with Hats "Llamas with Hats" is a black comedy adult animated web series produced by FilmCow, an independent company created by Jason Steele after the success of his viral short film Charlie the Unicorn. The first episode was released in 2009, with twelv ...

'' *Carl, a character from Disney's '' Meet the Robinsons'' *Carl, a character from the 1947 film ''

Unconquered Unconquered or The Unconquered may refer to: Films * ''Unconquered'' (1917 film), a drama film by Frank Reicher * ''Unconquered'' (1947 film), an adventure film by Cecil B. DeMille * ''The Unconquered'' (documentary) or ''Helen Keller in Her Sto ...

'' *Carl, a character from '' Waltzes from Vienna'' *Carl, a character from the Supercell game '' Brawl Stars'' *"Carl", a nickname for the Series 800 Model 101 Terminator in ''Terminator: Dark Fate'' *Carl Bentley, a character from the 1995 film '' Jumanji'' * Carl Brutananadilewski, a character from ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' * Carl Carlson, a character from ''The Simpsons'' * Carl Clover, a playable character in the ''Blazblue'' fighting game series. *

Carl Conrad Coreander This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

, a character in ''The Neverending Story'' *Carl Crayon, a fictional character in the

Wee Sing Wee or WEE may refer to: * Wee, a slang term for urine (see also wee-wee) * Wee, short stature, or otherwise small Anthroponym * Wee (surname), Chinese surname and name * Wee Willie Harris, singer * Wee Willie Webber, Philadelphia TV and ...

1988 video: ''Grandpa's Magical Toys'' * Carl Denham, a character from the 1933 film ''King Kong'' and its 2005 remake *

Carl Elias This is a list of characters in the American science fiction crime drama television series '' Person of Interest''. Main characters John Reese * Portrayed by Jim Caviezel * Episodes: " Pilot" – " return 0" John Reese is the name adopted by ...

, a recurring antagonist from the science fiction drama ''Person of Interest'' *

Carl Fredricksen ''Up'' is a 2009 American computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Bob Peterson (in his feature directorial debut), and produced b ...

, a character from Disney-Pixar's ''Up'' *Carl Gallagher, a character in the TV series '' Shameless'' * Carl Gould, a minor character in the '' Arthur'' television show * Carl Grimes, a notoriously elusive character from the comic/TV series ''The Walking Dead'' * Carl Hamilton, a Swedish secret agent of novels by Jan Guillou * Carl Johnson, a character in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' video game series * Carl Kolchak, a character from ''Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' *Carl Rader, a character from the 1940 film ''

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...

'' *Carl Stephans, a character from '' 711 Ocean Drive'' *Carl the Grim Rabbit, a character from ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

'' * Carl Wheezer, a character from '' The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'' *

Carl Winslow '' Family Matters'' is an American sitcom revolving around the Winslow family, a middle-class African-American family living in Chicago. The series ran for nine seasons (eight of which were broadcast on ABC, one on CBS) and is a spin-off of '' ...

, a character from the TV series ''Family Matters'' * Carl Proctor, character in the Police Academy Film Series * Carl Sweetchuck, character in the Police Academy Film Series * Carl, mysterious entity first seen in the Star Trek: Discovery episode "Terra Firma, Part 1" * Floating Carl, a benevolent ghost character from CS Cinema

Derived surnames

There are several derivations of the surname Carl, most of them originating as "son of Carl": *

Carlsen Carlsen is a Danish language, Danish-Norwegian language, Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Carl". The form Karlsen (surname), Karlsen is cognate. The parallel Swedish language, Swedish forms are Carlsson (disambiguation), Carlsson and K ...

* Carlson *

Carlsson Carlsson is a Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Carl" or "Carl’s son". Cognates include Carlson and Karlsson. The parallel Danish- Norwegian forms are Karlsen and Carlsen. Notable people with the surname include: *Agnes Carlsson, 20 ...

* Carlton *

Karlsen Karlsen is a Danish- Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Karl" (''\k(a)-rl\''), an Old German given name. The form Carlsen is cognate. The parallel Swedish forms are Karlsson and Carlsson. People with the surname include: * Alexandri ...

* Karlson *

Karlsson Karlsson is a Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning "son of Karl" or "Karl's son". It is one of the most common surnames in Sweden and has a number of alternative spellings. Apart from ''Karlsson'', ''Carlsson (disambiguation), Carlsson'' is the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carl (Name) Masculine given names Swedish masculine given names Norwegian masculine given names Danish masculine given names Icelandic masculine given names Dutch masculine given names German masculine given names English masculine given names ca:Carles fi:Kaarle