Karl
Meaning: Its source is ceorl, an Ancient Germanic name meaning "Freeholder."
Languages: This boy's name is used in German, English, Hungarian, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.
Compound Forms: Karl-Heinz and Karlheinz
Popularity: The name Karl ranked 596th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 228th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.
Narrative: The first Holy Roman Emperor, who lived from 742-814, is known to English-speaking students of history as Charlemagne (French for ''Charles the Great.'')
Charlemagne was a powerful Germanic leader who synthesized a relatively ordered society out of the chaos that followed the fall of Rome. He not only united France, but much of central Europe. His widespread fame gave rise to many forms of his name, in many languages.
For example, in Latin he was referred to as Carolus Magnus, and in German as Karl der Grosse. Many of these forms remain popular names in their own right, or have formed the basis for other modern names.
Arts and Music
- Karl Philipp Emanuel Bach (born 1714, died 1788)
German composer. Son of Johann Sebastian Bach.
- Composer of sonatas and chamber music (see list of Classical Composers)
Leadership
- Karl August von Alten (born 1764, died 1840)
Hanoverian military leader.
- Served with the Hanoverians and British in the Napoleonic wars (see list of Generals of the Napoleonic Wars)
- Karl Hjalmar Branting (born 1860, died 1925)
Swedish statesman. First Swedish representative to the League of Nations.
- 1921 Nobel Prize winner for Peace (see list of Nobel Peace Prize Winners)
- Duke Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Brunswick (born 1771, died 1815)
Brunswicker (German) general.
- Fell at the Battle of Quatre Bras, on the eve of Waterloo (see list of Generals of the Napoleonic Wars)
- Baron Karl Mack von Leiberich (born 1752, died 1828)
Austrian general known as ''The Unfortunate Mack.''
- His 20,000-man army was surrounded and captured by Napoleon at Ulm in 1805 (see list of Generals of the Napoleonic Wars)
- Karl von Rundstedt (born 1875, died 1953)
German field marshal.
- Commanded Germany''s western front in WWII (see list of Miscellaneous Military Leaders)
- Prince Karl Philip von Schwarzenberg (born 1771, died 1820)
Austrian general.
- Led the Austrian contingent in Napoleon''s 1812 invasion of Russia; upon the failure of that campaign, led the Allies to victory over the French at Leipzig (see list of Generals of the Napoleonic Wars)
Miscellaneous
- Karl Holton
- 1963 recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom (see list of Presidential Medal of Freedom Winners)
- Karl
- Hurricane or tropical storm (see list of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Names)
- Karl Lagerfeld (born 1938)
- German fashion designer (see list of Fashion Designers)
- Karl Marx (born 1818, died 1883)
German political philosopher; founder of modern socialism.
- On the cover of Sgt. Pepper''s Lonely Hearts Club Band (see list of Faces on the Cover of ''Sergeant Pepper'')
Science and Philosophy
- Karl Barth (born 1886, died 1968)
Swiss theologian and educator.
- Champion of dialectic theology (see list of Philosophers)
- Karl Folkers (born 1906)
American chemist known for isolating vitamin B-12.
- 1990 National Medal of Science winner (see list of National Medal of Science Winners)
- Karl von Frisch (born 1886, died 1982)
Austrian zoologist who studied individual and social behavior patterns.
- 1973 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine, with Konrad Lorenz and Nikolaas Tinbergen (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Karl Friedrich Gauss (born 1777, died 1855)
German mathematician and astronomer.
- Noted for his many contributions in pure and applied mathematics (see list of Mathematicians, Physicists & Astronomers)
- Karl G. Henize
American astronaut.
- Astronaut on Challenger (1985) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Karl Jaspers (born 1883, died 1969)
German psychiatrist and Existentialist philosopher.
- Wrote Psychologie der Weltanschauungen (''''Psychology of World Views'''') (see list of Philosophers)
- Karl Landsteiner (born 1868, died 1943)
Austrian pathologist who discovered the four main human blood types.
- 1930 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Karl Marx (born 1818, died 1883)
German political philosopher; founder of modern socialism.
- Wrote the Communist Manifesto (with Friedrich Engels) and Das Kapital (see list of Economists)
- Karl Menninger (born 1893)
American psychiatrist.
- Founded the Menninger Clinic, for the treatment of neuropsychological disorders (see list of Medical Practitioners)
- Karl M. G. Siegbahn (born 1886, died 1978)
Swedish physicist who studied X-ray spectroscopy.
- 1924 Nobel Prize winner in Physics (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics)
- Karl Ziegler (born 1898, died 1973)
German chemist known for his work with high polymers.
- 1963 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, with Giulio Natta (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
Sports
- Karl Frei
Swiss athlete.
- 1948 Olympic gymnastics gold medal winner for Rings (see list of Gold Medalists in Individual Gymnastics Events)
- Karl Hein
German athlete.
- 1936 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for Hammer (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Field Events)
- Karl Gosta Leandersson
Swedish runner.
- 1949 Boston Marathon champion (see list of Boston Marathon Winners)
- Karl Malone
- 1997 National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player (see list of NBA Most Valuable Players)
- Karl Schafer
Austrian athlete.
- 1932, 1936 Olympic gold medal winner for Figure Skating (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Figure Skating)
- Karl Schuhmann
German athlete.
- 1896 Olympic gymnastics gold medal winner for Horse Vault (see list of Gold Medalists in Individual Gymnastics Events)
Stage and Screen
- Karl Dane
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Karl Held
- Portrayed David Gideion from 1960-62 (see list of Actors on ''Perry Mason'')
- Karl Malden (born 1914)
American actor and director. Original name: Malden Sekulovich.
- 1951 Academy Award winner for his performance in A Streetcar Named Desire (see list of Oscar Winners for Best Supporting Actor)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
The Literary World
- Karl A. Gjellerup (born 1857, died 1919)
Danish novelist.
- 1917 Nobel Prize winner for Literature (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature)
- Karl Shapiro (born 1913)
American poet and critic.
- 1945 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry, for V-Letter and Other Poems (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)
- 1969 Bollingen Prize winner (see list of Winners of the Bollingen Prize for Poetry)
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Meaning: Its source is ceorl, an Ancient Germanic name meaning "Freeholder."
Popularity: The name Karl ranked 2870th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.
This name is usually reserved for boys. In part, it could owe its position on the US Census popularity list to incorrectly filled-out census forms.
Narrative: Of all the feminine forms of Carl (and its equivalent Charles), the oldest is probably Carolina, which developed in Latin as a feminine form of Carolinus, itself an elaboration of Carolus.
Carolus Magnus was the Latin name of the first Holy Roman Emperor, a Germanic leader known in the English-speaking world as Charlemagne (French for ''Charles the Great''). He was crowned emperor in 800 A.D., after uniting much of central Europe and building a relatively stable society out of the chaos that followed the fall of Rome.
Charlemagne's widespread fame gave rise to many forms of his name in many languages. Each male form suggested a female equivalent, which in turn changed and developed, so that we see Carolina changed to Caroline, shortened to Carol, and so on.
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