Skip to content
NameBattle
My names

Carlus

Masculine · Germanic roots · “free man (through Charles)”

Carlus is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 525 boys against 10 girls since 1880.

1913high 1970
Rare todaygiven to only a few children a year
rare

Carlus has the look of a Latin name, with the -us ending of Marcus and Julius, and it belongs to the family of Charles. It is not the Latin form, though: Latin wrote Charles as Carolus, with three syllables, and Carlus is a shorter spelling that sounds much like Carlos.

How old is the name Carlus?

Carlus first appears in US birth records in 1913 — 112 years ago. The typical Carlus alive today was born around 1967, making them about 58 years old. About 400 people named Carlus are estimated to be alive in the US today.

When was the name Carlus most popular?

Carlus peaked in 1970, reaching #1989 nationally. See the whole 1970 chart.

Compare this nameMore “C” names

Lists built from the same records:

I

Where it comes from

The story of Carlus

Charles entered written Latin as Carolus, the form behind the adjective Carolingian and the Latin name of every King Charles. Carlus is not that form but a two-syllable spelling that sits between Carl and Carlos, found on American records mostly for boys and, much more rarely, for girls. For the girls the record gives no separate source; the same letters simply appear on both registers.

Meaning

free man (through Charles)

Carlus belongs to Charles, from the Germanic karl, a free man, whichever route it took.

How the name formed

  1. karlGermanic
  2. CarolusLatin
  3. Carlos, Carl
  4. Carlus

Related forms: Carolus · Carlos · Charles · Carl

Pronouncing Carlus

KAR-lus

Two syllables, stressed on the first, rhyming with Marcus.

Nicknames for Carlus

Limited

CarlThe front of the name and a full name in its own right, used for boys
II

What the data says

The long climb, and where it stands now

BOYS NAMED · 1913–20252010020719132004

US babies named Carlus per year from 1913 to 2025
AVERAGE RANK BY DECADE#1#10#100#1000#19891910s2000s

The same years in position rather than babies

First recorded
1913
Most boys named
197020 — the highest on record
Peak rank
#1989reached in 1970
Change vs 2002
+40.0%7 in 2004, from 5
Carlus sits in the rare tail. Its best year on record was 1970, with 20 boys. Today it is given to few enough children that it does not enter the ranked charts at all.

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.

Carlus in other languages

The same name elsewhere

  • Carolus in Latin — related form
  • Carlos in Spanish — related form
  • Charles in English — related form
  • Carl in Swedish — related form

Carluss among us

400

people named Carlus are estimated to be alive in the US today

Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method

III

Is it right for you

Fashion outlook

Carlus sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.

Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them

The trade-off

Practical strengths
  • A clear place in the Charles family, with a meaning that is not in doubt.
  • Two syllables, easy to say and to spell once heard.
  • Carl is available as a short form.
What to consider
  • Nearly every Carlus on record is a boy; a girl given this spelling will be read as a boy on paper, and the -us ending strengthens that impression.
  • Expect it to be corrected to Carlos, or to Carolus by anyone who knows Latin; a quick spelling at each new form settles it.

Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Carlus to the vote.

Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.

Start a family voteSwipe together

Only the people you invite can see your list.

Already decided on Carlus? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.

Or just send this page to someone:

WhatsAppPinterestFacebook

What they receive

Someone added a name to your list

Carlus

Masculine · Germanic roots

♥ Love itNot for meLet’s talk about it
Add a note — what do you like about it?
Your shared list is empty. Carlus would be the first name on it.

Frequently asked

How many Carluss are there in the world?
No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Carlus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
How popular is the name Carlus in 2025?
Carlus is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
Will my child share the name Carlus with classmates?
Carlus will almost certainly be the only one in school.

More C names

The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.

Charles#48 · Christopher#68 · Carl#1132 · Christian#96 · Caleb#58 · Cameron#76 · Carlos#150 · Clarence#1499

Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Carlus? See the current top 100.

Choosing between Carlus and another name?

See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.

Compare side by side

In a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.

Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.

Cast your vote

Which one would you pick?

Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.

US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology

No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle