Find out how popular the last name Carl is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Carl.

Carl, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Carl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carl in America

Carl is the 3071st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carl surname appeared 11,689 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Carl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carl to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Carl

The surname Carl is of Germanic origin and derives from the Old Norse word "karl" which means "man" or "freeman". It first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Normans of Scandinavian descent settled in the country.

The name was initially concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where many Scandinavian settlers had established themselves. It is believed that some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Carl can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

Over the centuries, the surname Carl has undergone various spelling variations, including Carle, Karle, and Karll. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and pronunciation differences. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names, such as Carlisle in Cumbria and Carleton in various parts of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Carl dates back to the late 12th century, when a man named William Carl was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195. Another notable early bearer of the surname was Robert Carl, who was recorded in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1246.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Carl. For instance, John Carl (c. 1370-1421) was an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1416 until his death. Another notable figure was William Carl (1459-1519), an English lawyer and statesman who served as the Lord Privy Seal under King Henry VIII.

In the literary world, the surname Carl is associated with the American writer and satirist Thomas Carl Buchanan (1808-1869), who is best known for his novel "The Impudent Comedian". The name also appears in the scientific realm with the Swedish botanist and zoologist Peter Carl Fahlberg (1850-1935), who is credited with the discovery of the artificial sweetener saccharin.

Another prominent figure with the surname Carl was the British explorer and archaeologist John Carl Wilkinson (1878-1957), who is known for his expeditions to the Middle East and his excavations in Persia (modern-day Iran) and Iraq. He made significant contributions to the study of ancient civilizations in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carl

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Carl.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Carl was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Carl has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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