Carlos: Meaning, origin and popularity

Pronounced KAHR-lohs · 2 syllables

Carlos means “free man”, from Spanish and Germanic.

Borrowed from Portuguese and Spanish Carlos. Doublet of Carl, Charles, and Karl.

How popular is Carlos?

Carlos was the #150 name in the US in 2025, given to 2,418 babies. It’s used less than it was: down 32% on 2011–2015. It peaked around 2000.

Babies named Carlos in the US by five-year period, relative to its peak (around 2000).

Half of US adults named Carlos are older than 37; most are between 19 and 70. (Estimated from US births by year and life tables.)

Names that real brothers and sisters of people named Carlos have, from family records on Wikidata, most common first.

Chosen by the same families or with a similar style and era.

Carlos means “free man”. It comes from Spanish and Germanic.

Carlos is pronounced KAHR-lohs.

Carlos was the #150 name in the US in 2025, given to 2,418 babies. It’s used less than it was: down 32% on 2011–2015. It peaked around 2000.

Half of US adults named Carlos are older than 37. Most are between 19 and 70.