Karl
Karl is a male given name: 99% of people named Karl are men, and it is recorded as male in 16 of the 16 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Austria, Germany
- US births since 1880
- 99,892 male / 914 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Karl
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Karl," in English, "Guten Tag Karl," in German. Karl is a male given name: about 99% of people named Karl are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Karl,
German
Guten Tag Karl,
French
Bonjour Karl,
Spanish
Estimado/a Karl:
Chinese
Karl您好：
Japanese
Karl様
English
Hi Karl,
German
Hi Karl,
French
Salut Karl,
Spanish
Hola Karl,
Chinese
Karl你好：
Japanese
Karl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% |
| Austria | common | man's name | 98% |
| Germany | common | man's name | 98% |
| East Frisia | common | man's name | 98% |
| Iceland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Sweden | common | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | common | man's name | 98% |
| Estonia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
Show all 16 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malta | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Finland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Slovenia | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
99,892 male · 914 female · 100,806 births recorded
Since 1980: 99% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Karl a male or female name?
Karl is a male given name: 99% of people named Karl are men, and it is recorded as male in 16 of the 16 countries covered.
How do I address Karl in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Karl," in English, "Guten Tag Karl," in German. Karl is a male given name: about 99% of people named Karl are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Karl a unisex name?
Karl is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Karl are men. Karl 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 Karl a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/karl (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_karl,
title = {Is Karl a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/karl},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}