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Carlos

Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.

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Meaning

Free man, through the Charles-linked Germanic root.

Carlos belongs to the Charles/Carl name family through Spanish or Portuguese and Latin. The Charles entry supplies the older Germanic free-man root; the historical meaning is not a personality judgment.

Origin

Spanish and Portuguese form with Germanic ancestry through Latin.

The exact English entry documents borrowing from Spanish or Portuguese and identifies the Charles/Carl/Karl family. Language of use does not establish a bearer’s nationality.

English pronunciation

Received Pronunciation /ˈkɑː.lɒs/; General American /ˈkɑɹ.loʊs/

Recorded English personal-name readings. These are separate from Spanish and Portuguese readings.

Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.

Published name usage

Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.

Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
PlaceYearRecorded usagePublished birthsRankNotes
Canada2025Boys39 · preliminary6992025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France2025Boys20 (rounded to 5)1572Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales2025Boys281066Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland2018Boys3416Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland2024Boys3727Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland2025Boys5577Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States2023Girls515194Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States2025Boys2,418150Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.

Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.

Sources & notes

Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.

Language of use: English

Checked against cited source

The exact English section explicitly documents personal-name use, separate from surname, ordinary-word and place senses. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Carlos entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Carlos&oldid=91976143. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Meaning: Free man, through the Charles-linked Germanic root.

Checked against cited source

Carlos belongs to the Charles/Carl name family through Spanish or Portuguese and Latin. The Charles entry supplies the older Germanic free-man root; the historical meaning is not a personality judgment. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Carlos, Charles entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Carlos&oldid=91976143; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Charles&oldid=93570266. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Origin: Spanish and Portuguese form with Germanic ancestry through Latin.

Checked against cited source

The exact English entry documents borrowing from Spanish or Portuguese and identifies the Charles/Carl/Karl family. Language of use does not establish a bearer’s nationality. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Carlos, Charles entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Carlos&oldid=91976143; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Charles&oldid=93570266. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

English pronunciation: Received Pronunciation /ˈkɑː.lɒs/; General American /ˈkɑɹ.loʊs/

Checked against cited source

Recorded English personal-name readings. These are separate from Spanish and Portuguese readings. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Carlos entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Carlos&oldid=91976143. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Syllables: 2 (these recorded English readings)

Checked against cited source

Count for the documented full English personal-name readings; readings in other languages keep their own evidence. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Carlos entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Carlos&oldid=91976143. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

country_CA

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country_FR

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country_IE

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Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

Attribution: Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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(C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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U.S. Social Security Administration

Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration

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Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

License: Statistics Canada Open Licence

Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

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Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

License: CC BY 4.0

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.

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Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.

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