Find out how popular the first name Karel has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Karel by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Karel is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 71% of people named Karel being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 22 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Karel.

The history of the first name Karel

Karel is a male given name of Germanic origin, derived from the Old Franconian "Karl" or "Karal", which means "free man" or "husband". The name gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly after the reign of Charlemagne (742-814 AD), the famous Frankish king and Holy Roman Emperor, whose birth name was Carolus Magnus.

In the 9th century, the name Karel was introduced to the Slavic regions, where it underwent various linguistic adaptations, such as Karol in Polish and Czech, and Кирил (Kirill) in Russian. It is believed that the name Karel was brought to these regions by Christian missionaries, as it was a common practice to adopt Germanic names during the process of Christianization.

One of the earliest historical references to the name Karel can be found in the Old Czech Chronicle, which mentions a Bohemian nobleman named Karel (c. 1050-1092), who was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty and the first hereditary prince of Bohemia.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Karel, including Karel Hynek Mácha (1810-1836), a Czech romantic poet and novelist, considered one of the greatest figures in Czech literature. Another prominent bearer of the name was Karel Čapek (1890-1938), a Czech writer, playwright, and critic, who introduced the word "robot" to the English language in his science fiction play "R.U.R." (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti).

Karel Appel (1921-2006) was a Dutch painter and sculptor, widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and a founding member of the avant-garde CoBrA group. Karel Doorman (1889-1942) was a Dutch naval officer who fought heroically against the Japanese during the Battle of the Java Sea in World War II, sacrificing his life to protect a convoy of ships.

In the world of music, Karel Husa (1921-2016) was a renowned Czech-American composer and educator, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning composition "Music for Prague 1968". Karel Ančerl (1908-1973) was a Czech conductor and a leading figure in the Czech musical scene during the 20th century.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Karel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Karel, please contact us.

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