Given name & surname
Carlos
“a free man”
Carlos is a variant of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Carlos is a variant of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Cebuano usage, Carlos developed from Carolus.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Carlos through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 309,076
- 307,036 boys · 2,040 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 6,864 babies
- 2025
- 2,418
- #150 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,418 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 150 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6,842 in 2001. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (535). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 473,046 as a first name in 2020; 15,191 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.
Carlos’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Carlos has a diminutive in CARLITO. Carlos shares a linguistic root with Charles. In Portuguese usage, Carlos has a conventional equivalent in the Romanian form Carol.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Carlos has relatives in 44 languages.
47 related names in 44 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 52
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Charlesdoublet · English, French
- Fernandoequivalent
- Carlodoublet · Italian, English
- Carlafeminine form · Portuguese
- Karldoublet · German, Swedish
- CarolRomanian
- CharlyEnglish
- KarolPolish, Slovak
Show 44 moreShow fewer
- KarloEsperanto
- Ferdinandequivalent
- Karlosequivalent
- KaleHawaiian
- KarelCzech, Dutch
- Carlusequivalent
- Ferdynandequivalent
- Karolisequivalent
- Ferdinandoequivalent
- Carelequivalent
- Hernandoequivalent
- Fernandequivalent
- Carolusolder form · Latin
- CharelDutch
- KaarloFinnish
- CarlesCatalan
- Ferdinantequivalent
- ΚάρολοςGreek
- Karolosequivalent
- Siarlequivalent
- Карлоequivalent
- КарлRussian
- KarmenaMaltese
- KarmenuMaltese
- KarluMaltese
- HareMāori
- ÇhalsManx
- ЧарлсMacedonian
- KārlisLatvian
- シャルルJapanese
- SéarlasIrish
- KárolyHungarian
- KaarleFinnish
- KaarelEstonian
- KaroloEsperanto
- 샤를Korean
- 夏尔Chinese
- CharlezBreton
- চার্লসBengali
- КарлосUkrainian, Russian
- カルロスJapanese
- कार्लोसHindi
- 卡洛斯Mandarin
- كَارْلُوسArabic
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Carlos
- Ferdinand MagellanPortuguese explorer in the service of Spain1480–1521
- Chuck NorrisAmerican martial artist and action actor (1940–2026)
- Carlos AlazraquiAmerican actorborn 1962
- Charlie SheenAmerican actor (born 1965)
- Percy LizaPeruvian footballerborn 2000
- Charles II of Spainking of Spain, lived (1661-1700)
- Carlos FuentesMexican writer (1928–2012)
- Carlos SlimMexican business magnate and investorborn 1940
- Carlos TevezArgentine association football playerborn 1984
Characters named Carlos: Carlos Solis (Desperate Housewives), Carlos Bandeirense Mirandópolis hoax (Portuguese Wikipedia hoax article).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Carlos, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“famous ruler”
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