Carlson
Son of a man named Carl or Charles.
Name Census estimates that about 621 living Americans carry the first name Carlson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Carlson today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carlson births was 2016 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carlson. 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.
People living today
621
~ 1 in 551,939 Americans
Peak year
2016
19 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,212
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Carlson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carlson from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 133 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Carlson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carlson 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 Carlson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carlsons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Carlson
The name Carlson is of Scandinavian origin, derived from the Old Norse name "Karlsson," which means "son of Karl." Karl itself is believed to have come from the Germanic word "karlaz," meaning "man" or "husband." The name gained widespread popularity in the Viking Age, particularly in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
During the Middle Ages, the name Carlson was commonly used in Scandinavia, often denoting a person's connection to their father or paternal lineage. It was also a common practice to add the suffix "-son" to a father's name to create a patronymic surname. This tradition can be traced back to the early medieval period in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carlson can be found in the Icelandic sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often mentioned individuals with the name Karlsson or its variants, reflecting the cultural significance of the name in the Norse societies of that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Carlson. One of the earliest was Carlson Roggevaldsson (c. 1170-1219), a Norwegian nobleman and chieftain who played a significant role in the Norwegian civil wars of the early 13th century.
Another prominent figure was Carlson Kolmodinsson (c. 1300-1370), a Swedish clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Skara from 1335 to 1370. He was known for his contributions to the development of the Swedish Church and his efforts to promote education and literacy.
In the 19th century, Carlson Petersen (1819-1894) was a Danish politician and journalist who played a crucial role in the fight for democracy and freedom of the press in Denmark. He was also a prominent advocate for the rights of the working class and the labor movement.
Moving into the 20th century, Carlson Reese (1904-1981) was an American football player and coach. He played as a running back for the Chicago Bears and later coached several college teams, including the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California.
Another notable figure is Carlson Lammonby (1924-2008), a British actor and writer best known for his roles in television series such as "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "The Pallisers." He had a successful career spanning several decades and was widely recognized for his versatility and talent.
People
Carlson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carlson 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
Carlson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carlson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 621 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carlson 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 551,939 US residents.
Is Carlson a common name?
We classify Carlson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 742 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carlson most popular?
The single biggest year for Carlson was 2016, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carlson is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carlson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carlson 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.
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.