2000
#2,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.47
Uncommon Last name
Carl
Derived from the Old Norse word "karl," meaning a free man or a peasant landowner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,104 Americans carry the last name Carl. That puts it at #3,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,317 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carl surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Carl with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,317
Census rank
#3,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,555 bearers of the surname Carl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carl, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carl
Among Census respondents with the surname Carl, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Carl bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Carl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 9,056
- Two or more races3.9% · 407
- Black or African American3.4% · 355
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 355
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 261
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carl
Carl appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,689
-371 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.96
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#3,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,555
-1,134 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 3.53
Rank movement Down 268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,746 | 12,060 | 4.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,071 | 11,689 | 3.96 | -371 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #3,339 | 10,555 | 3.53 | -1,134 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 268 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Carl surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,071 | #3,339 | -8.7% |
| Count | 11,689 | 10,555 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.96 | 3.53 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carl bearers went from 11,689 to 10,555 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 268 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,071 to #3,339.
FAQ
Carl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carl?
Name Census estimates that about 12,104 living Americans carry the surname Carl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,317 residents.
How common is Carl?
Carl ranks #3,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,555 people with the surname Carl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Carl.
Has Carl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carl went from 11,689 recorded bearers to 10,555. That is a decrease of 1,134 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,071 to #3,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Carl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carl, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (9,056 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Black (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Carl (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Carl mean?
Derived from the Old Norse word "karl," meaning a free man or a peasant landowner. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Carl (3.53 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Carl?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.