Carolus
A masculine name of Latin origin meaning "free man".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Carolus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Carolus today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carolus births was 1962 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carolus. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Carolus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1962
5 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
1967 SSA rank
#4,042
Tracked since 1962
Popularity
Carolus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Carolus 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 Carolus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Carolus
The name Carolus is derived from the Germanic word "karl", which means "man" or "husband". It is the Latin form of the name Charles and has its roots in the Late Latin name "Carolus". The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages and was widely used across Europe.
In the 8th century, Carolus Magnus, also known as Charlemagne (742-814), was a powerful Frankish king who ruled over a vast empire that encompassed much of Western and Central Europe. He was a significant figure in the history of the Holy Roman Empire and played a crucial role in the spread of Christianity throughout Europe.
Another notable bearer of the name was Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), a Swedish botanist, zoologist, and physician who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature for naming species. He is often referred to as the "father of modern taxonomy" and his work significantly influenced the development of modern biology.
In the realm of science, Carolus Clusius (1526-1609) was a Flemish botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life. He is credited with introducing several plants, including the potato and tulip, to Western Europe from their native regions.
The name Carolus also appears in religious history. Saint Carolus Borromeus (1538-1584) was an Italian cardinal and a prominent figure in the Catholic Reformation. He played a vital role in implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent and is revered as the patron saint of seminarians and spiritual leaders.
In the field of philosophy, Carolus Renaldinus (1615-1698) was an Italian philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the development of early modern science. He was one of the first scholars to recognize the importance of Galileo Galilei's work and helped to promote his ideas.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Carolus, highlighting its rich cultural and historical significance across various disciplines and regions.
People
Carolus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carolus 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
Carolus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carolus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carolus 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Carolus a common name?
We classify Carolus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carolus most popular?
The single biggest year for Carolus was 1962, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carolus is about 59 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 Carolus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Carolus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carolus 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 Carolus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Carolus 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 Carolus 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 many Americans are named Carolus?
Want to know how many people have the name Carolus? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.