Carlos
Masculine · “a free man”
Carlos is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 307,036 boys against 2,040 girls since 1880. See Carlos as a girl name
The last Spanish Habsburg carried this name and could barely eat. Two centuries of marrying cousins and nieces had produced a king whose jaw did not close, who was sickly from birth, and who — crucially for everyone else in Europe — could not produce an heir. He knew it, and so did every court on the continent.
How old is the name Carlos?
Carlos was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Carlos alive today was born around 1992, making them about 33 years old. About 274,000 people named Carlos are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Carlos most popular?
Carlos peaked in 1999, reaching #59 nationally. Today it ranks #150, 91 places below that high. See the whole 1999 chart.
Carlos appears on these lists:
- The steadiest names in America
- The sweet spot: familiar but not everywhere
- Spanish and Latin names with warmth
- Names ending in -s
- all guides
Works in Spanish & Latino families too:
Where it comes from
From Karl to Carlos
The story of Carlos
His death set off the largest war Europe had yet fought. He had signed a will leaving everything to a French prince, which would have joined the Spanish and French crowns; England, the Dutch and the Austrians went to war rather than allow it, and the fighting ran for over a decade across Europe and the Americas. The settlement broke up the Spanish empire's European holdings, put a Bourbon on the Spanish throne on condition he renounce France, and handed Britain both Gibraltar and a monopoly on selling enslaved people to Spanish America. One childless man's estate, redrawn as a continental treaty.
Meaning
a free man
The Germanic word behind the name described a man who was free but held no rank. Spanish took the name through the Frankish emperors rather than directly, which is why it arrives with the Latin ending attached.
Cultural footprint
Carlos Santana (b. 1947) — Guitar legend behind "Smooth"
Carlos Alcaraz (b. 2003) — Youngest men's world No. 1 in tennis history
Carlos Slim (b. 1940) — Once the richest person in the world
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- Karl
- Carolus
- Carlos
Related forms: Carlos · Carlos · Carlo · Charles
Pronouncing Carlos
KAR-lohs
Two syllables with the stress at the front. Spanish gives the final o a full clear vowel where English reduces it, which is the main audible difference.
Nicknames for Carlos
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 20016,842 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #59reached in 1999
- Change vs 2022
- −6.8%2,418 in 2025, from 2,594
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Carlos in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Carlos in Spanish — same name
- Carlos in Portuguese — same name
- Carlo in Italian — same name
- Charles in French — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Carloss among us
people named Carlos are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 706 born in 2025 was named Carlos
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Eddie test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Carlos's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Eddie climbed just as high around 1910, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Eddie's path sketches the road Carlos is walking now.
Carlos peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Carlos is headed
Carlos should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Carlos beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Carlos in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is recognized instantly across the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world.
- It has an established affectionate form rather than an improvised one.
- The spelling and the sound agree completely in both languages.
- It is common enough that a child may not be the only one nearby.
- English speakers reduce the final vowel, which Spanish speakers notice.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
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Carlos
Masculine · #150 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Carloss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 274,000 people named Carlos are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Carlos in 2025?
- Carlos ranks #150 among US boy names in 2025, with 2,418 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Carlos?
- About 1 in every 706 US boys born in 2025 was named Carlos — 2,418 in all.
- Will my child share the name Carlos with classmates?
- Carlos will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Carlos
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Elliot#151 · Greyson#149 · Bryson#152 · Arlo#148 · Elian#147 · Evan#153 · Matteo#146 · Emilio#154
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Carlos? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Carlos and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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