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

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

. It is the first name of many Kings of Sweden including

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. Having reigned since 1973, he is the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history. Carl Gustaf was born during the reign of his paternal great-grandfather, K ...

. It is a variant of the English

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

, and the Latin Carolus.

List of people named Carl

Royalty and nobility

* Carl Bernadotte (1911–2003), Swedish prince * Carl Johan Bernadotte (1916–2012), Swedish prince *

(born 1946), King of Sweden 1973 to present * Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (born 1979), Prince of Sweden * Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland (1861–1951), Swedish prince :Most other Swedish and Norwegian royalty so named – see Carl of Sweden – are listed on English Wikipedia as ''Charles''. * Carl, Duke of Württemberg (1936–2022), head of the House of Württemberg from 1975 to 2022

As a given name

* Carl Abbott (urban historian) (born 1944), American historian * Carl Abrahams (1911–2005), Jamaican artist * Carl Adams (wrestler) (born 1950), American wrestler, coach and businessman * Carl Albert (1908–2000), American politician and lawyer * Carl Anderson (singer) (1945–2004), American singer and actor * Carl Asercion (1909–1990), American steel guitar player * Carl Ballantine (1917–2009), American actor * Carl Banks (born 1962), American football player * Carl Barât (born 1978), British musician * Carl Barber (born 1956), Canadian Haskap berry grower * Carl Barks (1901–2000), American cartoonist, author, and painter * Carl Barron (born 1964), Australian comedian * Carl Bengtström (born 2000), Swedish athlete * Carl Benner, American electrical engineer * Carl Berman (born 1985), American football player * Carl Bildt (born 1949), Swedish politician and diplomat * Carl August Björk (1837–1916), Swedish preacher * Carl L. Boeckmann (1867–1923), Norwegian-American artist * Carl Bradford (born 1992), American football player * Carl "Charlie" Brandt (1957–2004), American serial killer *

Carl Brashear Carl Maxie Brashear (19 January 1931 – 25 July 2006) was a United States Navy sailor. He was a Master Diver, rising to the position in 1970, despite having his lower left leg amputated in 1966. The 2000 film '' Men of Honor'' was based on his ...

(1931–2006), U.S. Navy master diver * Carl Braun (basketball) (1927–2010), American basketball player * Carl Brewer (politician) (1957–2020), American politician * Carl Byrum (born 1963), American football player * Carl Caldenius (1887–1961), Swedish geologist * Carl Carlton (born 1953), American singer-songwriter * Carl Clark (1933–2015), American photographer * Carl Cohen (businessman) (1913–1986), American gambling executive and Las Vegas casino manager * Carl Cohen (philosopher) (1931–2023), professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan, philosopher, and animal rights activist * Carl Colpaert, American film director * Carl Crawford (born 1981), American baseball player * Carl Czerny (1791–1857), Austrian pianist * Carl Davis (American football) (born 1992), American football player * Carl Decaluwé (born 1960), Belgian politician * Carl Dobkins Jr. (1941–2020), American singer and songwriter * Carl Douglas (born 1942), Jamaican musician who wrote the disco song "Kung Fu Fighting" * Carl E. Douglas (born 1955), American lawyer and member of the defense team during O.J. Simpson's murder trial * Carl Earn (1921–2007), American tennis player * Carl Edwards (born 1979), American NASCAR driver * Carl Edwards Jr. (born 1991), American baseball player * Carl Eller (born 1942), American football player * Carl Erskine (1926–2024), American baseball pitcher * Carl Etelman (1900–1963), American football back and coach * Carl G. Fisher (1874–1939), American entrepreneur * Carl Fodor (born 1963), American football player * Carl Fogarty (born 1965), English motorcycle racer * Carl Frampton (born 1987), Northern Irish boxer * Carl Froch (born 1977), British boxer * Carl Garrigus (1931–1975), American football player *

Carl Friedrich Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (; ; ; 30 April 177723 February 1855) was a German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist, who contributed to many fields in mathematics and science. He was director of the Göttingen Observatory and ...

(1777–1855), German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist *Carl Giammerese (born 1947), guitar player for American pop group The Buckinghams * Carl Granderson (born 1996), American football player * Carl Grubert (1911–1979), American cartoonist * Carl Gutierrez (born 1941), American politician * Carl Gunnarsson (born 1986), Swedish ice hockey player * Carl August Hagberg (1810–1864), Swedish linguist * Carl Hubbell (1903–1988), American baseball player * Carl Hunter (born 1965), bassist in The Farm *

Carl Icahn Carl Celian Icahn (; born February 16, 1936) is an American businessman and investor. He is the founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a public company and diversified conglomerate holding company based in Sunny Isles Beach, ...

(born 1936), American businessman * Carl von In der Maur (1852–1913), Austrian aristocrat and Liechtenstein government official * Carl Jenkinson (born 1992), English footballer * 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, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...

(1875–1961), Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist, founder of analytical psychology * Carl Kaiser (1927–2010), Canadian ice hockey player * Carl Karcher (1917–2008), American businessman, founder of the Carl's Jr. fast food restaurant chain * Carl Kasell (1934–2018), American radio personality * Carl Kline (psychiatrist) (1915–2005), Canadian psychiatrist and researcher *

Carl Laemmle Carl Laemmle (; born Karl Lämmle ; January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) was a German-American film producer and the co-founder and, until 1934, owner of Universal Pictures. He produced or worked on over 400 films. Regarded as one of the ...

(1867–1939), founder of

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

* Carl Laemmle Jr. (1908–1979), producer and businessman * Carl Landry (born 1983), American basketball player * Carl Lawson (American football) (born 1994), American football player * Carl Lewis (born 1961), American track and field athlete * Carl Limberger (born 1964), Australian tennis player * Carl Lindner Jr. (1919–2011), American businessman *

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

(1707–1778), Swedish biologist and physician * Carl J. Luksic (1921–2009), American flying ace during World War II * Carl Lumbly (born 1951), American actor * 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 (1840–1921), Austrian economist * Carl Nickolas (born 2001), American taekwondo practitioner * Carl Nicks (American football) (born 1985), American football player * Carl Oliver (born 1969), Bahamian sprinter and Olympic medallist * Carl Ona-Embo (born 1989), Congolese basketball player * Carl Orff (1895–1982) German composer * Charles "Carl" Panzram (1891–1930), American serial killer * Carl Anthony Payne II (born 1969), American actor *

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

(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 composer and musician of the Baroque and Classical period. He was the fifth ch ...

(1714–1788), German composer and musician * Carl Posy, Israeli philosopher * Carl Pursell (1932–2009), American politician *

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...

(1922–2020), American actor, comedian, and director * Carl Glennis Roberts (1886–1950), American surgeon, civil rights activist * Carl Robie (1945–2011), American swimmer * Carl Robinson (born 1976), Welsh footballer *

Carl Rogers Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8, 1902 – February 4, 1987) was an American psychologist who was one of the founders of humanistic psychology and was known especially for his person-centered psychotherapy. Rogers is widely considered one of the f ...

(1902–1987), 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 and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

(1934–1996), American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist * Carl Sandburg (1878–1967), American poet, writer, editor * Carl Sargeant (1968–2017), Welsh politician * Carl Schueler (born 1956), American race walker * Carl L. Sitter (1922–2000), U.S. Marine Corps officer * Carl Smith (American football) (born 1948), American football coach * Carl Smith (musician) (1927–2010), American country music singer * Carl Söderberg (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player * Carl Starfelt (born 1995), Swedish footballer * Carl Stockdale (1874–1953), American actor * Carl Heinrich Stratz (1858–1924), German-Russian gynecologist * Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (1927–1959), American actor and singer, best known as "Alfalfa" from the ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedy shorts *

Carl Olof Tallgren Carl Olof Tallgren (28 January 1927 – 16 June 2024) was a Finnish politician who served as the Minister of Finance (Finland), minister of finance between 1970 and 1971. He was one of the heads of the Swedish People's Party of Finland. Early l ...

(1927–2024), Finnish politician and businessman * Carl Thomas (singer) (born 1972), American R&B singer * Carl Valeri (born 1984), Australian association football player * Carl Van Doren (1885–1950), American critic * Carl Vinson (1883–1981), American politician *

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

(1786–1826), German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist * Carl E. Walz (born 1955), American astronaut * Carl Weathers (1948–2024), American actor and football player * Carl "Charles" Webb, formerly unidentified man known as "Somerton Man" * Carl Wieland (born 1950), Australian creationist *

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Dennis Wilson, ...

(1946–1998), American musician and lead guitar player for The Beach Boys * Carl Wittrock (born 1966), Dutch composer and conductor * Carl Voss-Schrader (1880–1955), Finnish colonel, business director, lawyer and interior minister * Carl Yastrzemski (born 1939), American baseball player *

Carl Zeiss Carl Zeiss (; 11 September 1816 – 3 December 1888) was a German scientific instrument maker, optician and businessman. In 1846 he founded his workshop, which is still in business as Zeiss (company), Zeiss. Zeiss gathered a group of gifted p ...

(1816–1888), German scientific instrument maker, optician and businessman

As a family name

* Barry Carl (born 1950), American voice actor * Christian Thomsen Carl (1676–1713), Danish navy officer. Middle name also given as Thomasen, Thomesen, or Thomasen. * Fred Carl (politician), American politician * Howie Carl (1938–2005), American basketball player * Jann Carl (born 1960), American television host * Max Carl (born 1950), American songwriter * Renée Carl (1875–1954), French actress * Steve Carl (born 1984), American mixed martial artist

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 * Carl Wayne, stage name of Colin David Tooley (1943–2004), British singer and musician best known as a member of

the Move The Move were a British Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1965. They scored nine Top 40, top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any real success in the United States. For most of ...

Fictional characters

*Carl, a character from the Supercell game ''

Brawl Stars ''Brawl Stars'' is a multiplayer online battle arena and third-person hero shooter video game developed and published by Finnish video game company Supercell (company), Supercell. The game was released worldwide on 12 December 2018, on iOS an ...

'' *Carl, a character from '' Carl the Collector'' *Carl, a character from ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

'' *Carl, a character in the web series '' Llamas with Hats'' *Carl, a character from Disney's 2007 film ''

Meet the Robinsons ''Meet the Robinsons'' is a 2007 American animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the 1990 children's book ''A Day with Wilbur Robinson'' by William Jo ...

'' *Carl, a character from '' Waltzes from Vienna'' *Carl Alphonse, a character from the 1995 film '' Billy Madison'' *Carl Bentley, a character from the 1995 film ''

Jumanji ''Jumanji'' is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain, based on the 1981 children's picture book by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is the first ins ...

'' *Carl Bruner, in ''Ghost'' * Carl Brutananadilewski, a character from ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' (also branded with different #Alternative titles, alternative titles for seasons 8–11), is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night progra ...

'' * Carl Carlson, a character from ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' *Carl Casagrande, a character from '' The Casagrandes'' * Carl Chryniszzswics, a character from '' Johnny Bravo'' * Carl Clover, a playable character in the ''Blazblue'' fighting game series * Carl Conrad Coreander, a character in ''The Neverending Story'' * Carl "Crusher" Creel alter ego of supervillain Absorbing Man * Carl Denham, a character from the 1933 film ''King Kong'' and its 2005 remake * Carl Elias, a recurring antagonist from the science fiction drama '' Person of Interest'' * Carl Fredricksen, a character from Disney-Pixar's 2009 film '' Up'' *Carl Gallagher, a character in the TV series '' Shameless'' * Carl Gould, a minor character in the ''

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

'' 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 Hanratty, FBI agent in the 2002 film ''

Catch Me If You Can ''Catch Me If You Can'' is a 2002 American crime comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, and James Brolin in ...

'' * Carl Johnson, a character in the ''

Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is an action-adventure video game series created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is prima ...

'' 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, the ...

'' *Carl Saxe, a character from the 1947 film '' Unconquered'' *Carl Spackler, a character from the 1980 film '' Caddyshack'' *Carl Stephans, a character from '' 711 Ocean Drive'' *Carl the Grim Rabbit, a character from ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' * Carl Wheezer, a character from '' The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius'' * Carl Winslow, a character from the TV series '' Family Matters''

Derived surnames

There are several derivations of the surname Carl, most of them originating as "son of Carl": * Carlsen * Carlson * Carlsson * Carlton * Karlsen * Karlson * Karlsson * Karl (surname)

References

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