Cairl
A diminutive of the Scottish surname Carlisle, ultimately from a place name meaning "walled town."
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Cairl. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cairl today is around 100 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cairl births was 1935 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cairl. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Cairl is about 100 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Cairls were born before 1936.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cairl. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1935
5 babies that year
Average age
100
years old
1935 SSA rank
#3,720
Tracked since 1935
Popularity
Cairl: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Cairl by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cairl during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Cairl
The given name Cairl is an ancient one with roots tracing back to the Celtic cultures of Western Europe. Its origins can be traced to the Old Irish language, where it was derived from the word "carill," meaning "loved one" or "friend." This name gained popularity among the Gaelic clans of Ireland and Scotland during the Middle Ages.
During the 6th century, the name Cairl appeared in various Irish monastic records and annals, often referring to prominent scholars and religious figures. One of the earliest documented instances was Saint Cairl of Armagh, a renowned Irish scholar who lived from 520 to 594 AD and was known for his contributions to the study of theology and linguistics.
In the 9th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Cairl Crovan, a legendary Norse-Gaelic ruler who established the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. His reign, which lasted from 1079 to 1098, was marked by significant territorial expansion and the consolidation of power in the region.
Throughout the medieval period, the name Cairl was particularly popular among the noble families of Ireland and Scotland. Several notable figures bore this name, including Cairl O'Neill (1260-1315), a powerful Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Neill dynasty, and Cairl MacLeod (1390-1457), a renowned Scottish warrior and chief of the Clan MacLeod.
In the literary realm, the name Cairl appeared in several ancient Celtic texts and poems. One notable example is the "Táin Bó Cúailnge," an epic tale from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, which features a character named Cairl mac Feidlimid, a prominent warrior and hero.
As the centuries passed, the name Cairl maintained its presence, although its popularity waxed and waned. Notable figures who bore this name include Cairl O'Doherty (1572-1608), an Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Doherty clan during the Nine Years' War against English rule, and Cairl Ó Broin (1670-1720), a celebrated Irish harpist and composer renowned for preserving traditional Celtic music.
In more recent times, the name Cairl has been less common, but it has not been entirely forgotten. Several individuals have carried on the legacy of this ancient name, such as Cairl Machin (1858-1929), a British architect and designer known for his work on various public buildings in London.
People
Cairl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cairl as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cairl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cairl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cairl going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Cairl a common name?
We classify Cairl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cairl most popular?
The single biggest year for Cairl was 1935, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cairl is about 100 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cairl in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cairl a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cairl in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cairl still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cairl in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cairl can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Cairl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Cairl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.