Given name & surname
Carle
“a free man”
Carle is a variant of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Carle is a variant of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1904. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Carle through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 606
- 462 boys · 144 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2007. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9 in 2005. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 523 as a first name in 2020; 2,976 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Carle’s family of names
Carle has a related form in Carl. In German usage, Carle as a surname has a related form in Karl.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Carle
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Carle, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Carlyle
“from the fort at Luguvalium”
82% boys · 18% girls
Caldwell
“of the cold well” · “from the cold spring”
>99% boys
Camillo
“a ceremonial attendant; a noble virgin” · “one who is born free; one who is noble”
>99% boys
Casimir
“one who demands peace”
>99% boys
Merle
“resembling a blackbird”
98% boys · 2% girls
Horace
“the keeper of time”
>99% boys
Parley
“one who negotiates” · “a reluctant man”
93% boys · 7% girls
Johnie
85% boys · 15% girls