Carl
Carl is a male given name: 99% of people named Carl are men, and it is recorded as male in 12 of the 12 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Denmark, Sweden
- US births since 1880
- 502,692 male / 3,191 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Carl
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Carl," in English, "Guten Tag Carl," in German. Carl is a male given name: about 99% of people named Carl are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Carl,
German
Guten Tag Carl,
French
Bonjour Carl,
Spanish
Estimado/a Carl:
Chinese
Carl您好：
Japanese
Carl様
English
Hi Carl,
German
Hi Carl,
French
Salut Carl,
Spanish
Hola Carl,
Chinese
Carl你好：
Japanese
Carlさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 99% |
| Denmark | common | man's name | 98% |
| Sweden | common | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| East Frisia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Germany | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Austria | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
502,692 male · 3,191 female · 505,883 births recorded
Since 1980: 99% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Carl a male or female name?
Carl is a male given name: 99% of people named Carl are men, and it is recorded as male in 12 of the 12 countries covered.
How do I address Carl in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Carl," in English, "Guten Tag Carl," in German. Carl is a male given name: about 99% of people named Carl are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Carl a unisex name?
Carl is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Carl are men. Carl leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Carl a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/carl (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_carl,
title = {Is Carl a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/carl},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}