Decarlo
Masculine · “From the Italian surname De Carlo”
Decarlo is the Italian surname De Carlo, 'of Carlo', used as a first name, and it has an unexpected family connection to two famous pen names and stage names, both borrowed from a mother's side. It has three syllables and a strong Italian finish.
How old is the name Decarlo?
Decarlo first appears in US birth records in 1953 — 72 years ago. The typical Decarlo alive today was born around 1986, making them about 39 years old. About 600 people named Decarlo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Decarlo most popular?
Decarlo peaked in 1978, reaching #1913 nationally. See the whole 1978 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Carolus to Decarlo
The story of Decarlo
Italian surnames often name a father: De Carlo or Di Carlo means 'of Carlo'. The actress born Margaret Yvonne Middleton in Vancouver took her mother's maiden name and became Yvonne De Carlo, a star of Technicolor adventure films who is best remembered as Lily in The Munsters. Carlo Lorenzini, who wrote The Adventures of Pinocchio, did the reverse: he took his pen name, Collodi, from the Tuscan village where his mother was born. As an American first name Decarlo belongs to the later twentieth century.
Meaning
From the Italian surname De Carlo, 'of Carlo'
De Carlo marks descent from a man named Carlo, the Italian form of Charles, 'free man'.
How the name formed
- Carolus
- Carlo
- De Carlo
- Decarlo
Related forms: De Carlo · Carlo · Charles
Pronouncing Decarlo
duh-KAR-loh
Three syllables with the stress on the second.
Nicknames for Decarlo
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
- 1953
- Most boys named
- 197826 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1913reached in 1978
- Change vs 2020
- 0.0%5 in 2021, from 5
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.
Decarlo in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- De Carlo in Italian — same name
- Carlo in Italian — related form
- Charles in English — related form
Decarlos among us
people named Decarlo are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Decarlo 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
- A real Italian surname with a clear meaning.
- Comes with Carlo as a ready short form.
- Rare as a first name, so a Decarlo is unlikely to meet another.
- People will often write it DeCarlo, with a capital C, as the surname is spelled.
- As a surname-first name it will sometimes be taken for a last name.
- Italian-speaking listeners will hear it as a family name rather than a given one.
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Decarlo
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Decarlos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Decarlo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Decarlo in 2025?
- Decarlo is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Decarlo with classmates?
- Decarlo will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
David#35 · Daniel#22 · Donald#690 · Dennis#707 · Douglas#807 · Dylan#41 · Danny#628 · Dale#1409
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Decarlo? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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