Given name & surname
Carlis
“a free man”
Carlis is a variant of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Carlis 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 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Carlis through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,399
- 1,221 boys · 178 girls
- Most popular year
- 1956
- 34 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 boys is 6 in 2012. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 28 in 1946. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,279 as a first name in 2020; 263 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.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Carlis, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Karan
“one who is pure; chaste”
>99% boys
Cary
“from the river” · “from the fort on the hill”
95% boys · 5% girls
Carlton
“from the free man's town”
>99% boys
Artis
“lofty hill; noble” · “rock”
94% boys · 6% girls
Keneth
>99% boys
Curtis
“one who is courteous; polite”
>99% boys
Karon
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% boys
Cris
“follower of Christ” · “one who bears Christ inside”
97% boys · 3% girls