Karli
A feminine German name derived from Charles, meaning "manly" or "strong."
Name Census estimates that about 10,602 living Americans carry the first name Karli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Karli today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karli births was 1994 (425 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karli. 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
11K
~ 1 in 32,329 Americans
Peak year
1994
425 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,981
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Karli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karli from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 3,666 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karli 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 Karli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karlis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 42 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Karli, while Montana, Hawaii, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 198 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Karli
The name Karli is a feminine given name with roots in several languages and cultures. It is believed to have originated as a variation of the German name Karl, which is derived from the Old High German "Karal" or "Karlmann," meaning "free man" or "a man." The name Karl itself traces its origins back to the Germanic name "Karlaz," meaning "freeman" or "peasant."
In Scandinavia, the name Karli is also a form of the Old Norse name Karli or Karle, which was a diminutive of the name Karl. This name was popular in the Viking era and was borne by several notable figures, including Karli Sæmundarson, an Icelandic chieftain and lawspeaker who lived in the 11th century.
The name Karli can also be found in medieval English records as a shortened form of the name Charles. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is Karli of Beverley, an English saint who lived in the 7th century and was known for her piety and charitable works.
In the 12th century, a French noblewoman named Karli de Vermandois was a prominent figure in the court of King Louis VII of France. She was known for her intelligence and political acumen and played a significant role in the affairs of the kingdom.
Another notable figure with the name Karli was Karli von Mühlenfels, a 14th-century German knight and military leader who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was renowned for his bravery and tactical skills on the battlefield.
In more recent history, Karli Caune was a Latvian painter and artist who lived from 1912 to 1997. She was known for her colorful and expressive works, which often depicted scenes of everyday life in Latvia.
While the name Karli has been used across various cultures and time periods, it is important to note that these historical references may not be exhaustive, and the name's origins and usage may have evolved over time.
People
Karli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10,602 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karli 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 32,329 US residents.
Is Karli a common name?
We classify Karli as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,894 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karli most popular?
The single biggest year for Karli was 1994, when 425 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karli is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Karli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karli in the SSA data are female. 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.