| Pronunciation | Urban East Norwegian: [kɑːl] Swedish: [kɑːɭ] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Old Norse |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Karl, Kaarel, Karel, Charles, Carlos, Kalle, Karol |
Carl is a North Germanic male name meaning "free man". The name originates in Old Norse.[1]
It is the first name of many Kings of Sweden including Carl XVI Gustaf. It is popular in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, and was largely popularized in the United States by Scandinavian and Italian (shortened from "Carlo") descendants. Karl is a Germanic spelling which is very popular in Austria, Estonia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, and was also popularized by German-speaking descendants in the United States. Other variants include the Anglo-Saxon-Frankish variant Charles, popular in Australia, Philippines, Canada, France, New Zealand, the UK and the United States, although both Karl and Carl are also widespread names in most English speaking countries; Carlo, very popular in Italy and southern Switzerland; Carlos, popular in Spain, Portugal and Latin America; and Karol, a variant in Poland and Slovakia.