Carlo is the Italian form of Charles, from the Germanic karl, meaning "free man"; it was carried by Charlemagne, Carlo Magno in Italian, and later by Saint Charles Borromeo, Carlo Borromeo, the great reformer of Milan. It is a staple of Italian American families and sounds a little more polished than Carl. Carlo was number 902 in 2000, left the top 1000 for years and returned in 2024; it ranks number 869 among boys in 2025.