Where does “Karl” come from?
Karl comes from Old High German karal, from Proto-Germanic karilaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂-, a root of uncertain meaning.
Karl (English): A medieval Scandinavian freeman
Definitions
- A medieval Scandinavian freeman
Ancestry of “Karl”, step by step
Karl traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Norse Karl
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | Karl | man |
| 2 | Proto-Norse | ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | karilaz | free man, franklin; little man, young man |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | karaz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |
via German Karl
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Karl | — |
| 2 | German | -chen | nowadays the most common suffix to create a... |
| 3 | Middle High German | -echen | — |
Words derived from “Karl”