The surname Karl is a patronymic, derived from the first name of the father. It comes from the Old German personal name Karl from the Latin Carolus. The name became popular at an early date in France and surrounding territories because of the famed Emperor Charlemagne (ca.741-814). However, the name was mostly only used amongst the nobility and did not spread to the lower classes until the 17th century. At that time it became popular with The Roman Catholic population, due to devotion to Karl Borromaues who was the Cardinal and Archbishop of Mailand. With Romantic movement of the 19th century, the name re-emerged as the lives and names of the ancient knights and kings were glamorized.
The surname Karl was first found in the Rhineland of Germany, where it was first very popular among the nobility as a personal name and then became a family name.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Karl research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1400, 1450, and 1560 are included under the topic Early Karl History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Karl, Karlmann, Karlan, Karlock and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Karl Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: