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

Karls, 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 Karls surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Karls in America

Karls is the 21144th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Karls surname appeared 1,242 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Karls.

We can also compare 2010 data for Karls 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 Karls

The surname KARLS originated in Germany and its earliest documented origins date back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Germanic personal name Karl, which itself comes from the Old High German "Karal" meaning "man" or "husband". This was a popular name among Frankish nobility, stemming from the Latin name Carolus, borne by Charlemagne and his descendants.

KARLS is believed to have first appeared as a surname in the region of Bavaria, southern Germany. The name was adopted by families living in or around the town of Karlstadt am Main. Early records show variations such as Karle, Karlen, and Karlin before the spelling solidified as KARLS.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the KARLS surname was Johannes Karls, a farmer mentioned in a land grant document from the town of Miltenberg in 1254. Another early instance is Heinricus Karls, a merchant recorded in the city archives of Nuremberg in 1312.

During the 16th century, the name KARLS appeared in official records across German-speaking lands. Notable figures included Anthoni Karls (1512-1578), a Catholic priest and theologian from Ingolstadt, and Hans Karls (1549-1631), a master goldsmith from Augsburg.

As the surname spread beyond Germany, it took on variations in spelling and pronunciation. In England, it became Carles or Charles, while in Scandinavia it evolved into Karlsson or Carlson. Bearers of the KARLS name were among the many German immigrants who settled in North America during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Other historically significant individuals with the surname KARLS include Johann Karls (1677-1751), a Baroque painter and engraver from Nuremberg; Friedrich Wilhelm Karls (1805-1888), a Prussian general and military writer; and Wilhelm Karls (1837-1907), a German-American artist and lithographer active in New York City.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Karls

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

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 Karls 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 Karls 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 Karls was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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