Karel (given name)
| Gender | Male and female |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Common Germanic |
| Meaning | Free Man |
| Region of origin | Western Europe, Central Europe |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Karlík, Karlíček, Kája |
| Related names | Charles, Carl, Karl, Carol |
| Popularity | see popular names |
Karel /ˈkɑːrəl/ is a masculine given name in Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Slovene and Swedish form of Charles, meaning Free Man.[1]
Given name[edit]
The name Karel (and its diminutives, Karlík, Karlíček, and Kája) appears frequently among the Czechs. In 2006, 124,784 Karels lived in the Czech Republic, making the name the thirteenth most popular Czech name.[2] Between 1999 and 2002, the number of Karels in the Czech Republic dropped by 2.7%, and the name dropped out of the twenty most popular newborn child names.[3] Notable people with this given name include the following:
- Karel Aalbers (born 1949), Dutch businessman
- Karel Abraham (born 1990), Czech motorcycle racer
- Karel Ančerl (1908–1973), Czech conductor
- Karel Appel (1921–2006), Dutch artist
- Karel Brückner (born 1939), Czech football coach
- Karel Čapek (1890–1938), Czech writer
- Karel Čurda (1911–1947), Czech Nazi collaborator
- Karel deLeeuw (1930–1978), American mathematician
- Karel Dillen (1925–2007), Belgian politician
- Karel Dobrý (born 1969), Czech actor
- Karel Doorman (1889–1942), Dutch naval officer
- Karel Effa (1922–1993), Czech actor
- Karel Espino (born 2001), Cuban football player
- Karel Jaromír Erben (1811–1870), Czech folklorist
- Karel Eykman (1936–2022), Dutch writer
- Karel Farský (1880-1927), Czech priest and patriarch of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church
- Karel Gott (1939–2019), Czech singer
- Karel Guzmán (born 1995), Cuban basketball player
- Karel Havlíček (1907–1988), Czech painter
- Karel Havlíček Borovský (1821–1856), Czech writer and journalist
- Karel Heřmánek (born 1947), Czech actor
- Karel van der Hucht (born 1946), Dutch astronomer
- Karel Husa (1921–2016), Czech composer and conductor
- Karel Janeček (born 1973), Czech mathematician and businessman
- Karel Janák (born 1970), Czech director
- Karel Komárek (born 1969), Czech businessman
- Karel Marquez (born 1982), Filipino entertainer
- Karel Martens (born 1939), Dutch graphic designer
- Karel Poborský (born 1972), Czech football player
- Karel Purkyně (1834–1868), Austro-Hungarian painter
- Karel Richter, Nazi German spy
- Karel Raška (1909–1987), Czech physician and epidemiologist
- Karel Reisz (1926–2002), Czech-born British filmmaker
- Karel Roden (born 1962), Czech actor
- Karel Schwarzenberg (1937–2023), Czech politician
- Karel Škréta (1610–1674), Czech painter
- Karel Soucek (1947–1985), Canadian stuntman
- Karel Štěpánek (1899–1980), Czech actor
- Karel Svoboda (composer) (1938–2007), Czech composer of popular music
- Karel Svoboda (artist) (1824–1870), Czech/Austrian painter
- Karel Svoboda (scientist) (born 1965), neuroscientist
- Karel Svoboda (table tennis), Czech table tennis player
- Karel Urbánek (born 1941), Czech politician
- Karel van Mander III (1609–1670), Dutch painter
- Karel Velebný (1931–1989), Czech musician
- Karel Voolaid (born 1977), Estonian football player and manager
See also[edit]
- All pages with titles beginning with Karel
- All pages with titles containing Karel
- Karell Émard (born 1988), Canadian ice hockey player
- Karell Peña (born 1989), Cuban beach volleyball player
- Karrell Fox (1928–1998), American magician
- Karey (disambiguation)
- Kariel
- Karol (name)
- Karyl
Notes[edit]
- ^ "Karel". Name-doctor.com. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "Most frequent Czech male names" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Archived from the original on 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
- ^ "Comparison of Czech newborn child names between 1999-2006" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 2007-12-07.