Carl is the German and Scandinavian form of Charles, from the Germanic word karl, meaning "free man". It was a staple among German and Scandinavian immigrants to America and a top 100 name for most of the 20th century; astronomer Carl Sagan and psychologist Carl Jung are well-known bearers. In the United States Carl ranked number 304 in 2000, slipped out of the top 1000 in 2022 and stands at number 1134 in 2025.