Show ContentsKarle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In Scottish history, few names go farther back than Karle, whose ancestors lived among the clans of the Pictish tribe. The ancestors of the Karle family lived in Aberdeen (part of the modern Grampian region), where the name can be found since very early times.

Early Origins of the Karle family

The surname Karle was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say before the Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Karle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Karle research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1493, 1575, 1592, 1619, 1633, 1638, 1647, 1675, 1747 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Karle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Karle Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. Karle has been written Carle, Carley, Carlley, Carrley, Carlie, Carleigh, Carlea, Carlee, Carrlie, Carlies, Carleys, Carleas, Carlay, Carley, Carrlay, Carrley, Carrleys, Karley and many more.

Early Notables of the Karle family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Hippolitus Curle (1592-1638), Scottish Jesuit, son of Gilbert Curle, Secretary to Mary Queen of Scots, by his wife, Barbara Mowbray. "He studied in the Scotch seminary at Douay, and entered the Society of Jesus at Tournai. During the second year of his noviceship his aunt, Elizabeth Curle, died at Antwerp (29 March 1619), leaving him sixty thousand florins. The bulk of this fortune he devoted to the use of the seminary at Douay, of which he is...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Karle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Karle Ranking

In the United States, the name Karle is the 17,714th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Karle family to Ireland

Some of the Karle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Karle migration to the United States +

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name Karle:

Karle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Karle, who arrived in Maryland in 1668 2
Karle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Michael Karle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 2
Karle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Peter Karle, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1877 2
  • August Karle, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1891 2

Australia Karle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Karle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Fidel Karle, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1847 aboard the ship "Hermann von Beckerath" 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Karle (post 1700) +

  • John L. Karle, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Senate 2nd District, 1920-22, 1925-26; defeated, 1922; Candidate for borough President of Queens, New York, 1925 4


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HERMANN VON BECKERATH 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847HermanVonBeckerath.htm
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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