Namesakes
Austrian Chancellors and Presidents:
2 chancellors, 1 chancellor/president, 1 president
(president) Karl Seitz 1919-1920 
(chancellor) Karl Buresch 1931-1932
(chancellor/president) Karl Renner 1918-1920; 1945; 1945-1950
(chancellor) Karl Nehammer 2021-
Austrian Dukes and Emperors:
4 emperors, 2 archdukes
Archduke Karl I 1519-1521
Archduke Karl II 1711-1740
Emperor Franz I (middle name Karl) 1792-1835
Emperor Ferdinand I (middle name Karl) 1835-1848
Emperor Franz Joseph I (middle name Karl) 1848-1916
Emperor Karl I 1916-1918
Bohemian Kings:
7 kings
King Karel I (a.k.a. Karl) 1346-1378
King Karel II (a.k.a. Karl) 1711-1740
King Karel Albrecht (a.k.a. Karl) 1741-1743
King František (middle name Karl) 1792-1835
King Ferdinand V (middle name Karl) 1835-1848
King František Josef I (middle name Karl) 1848-1916
King Karel III (a.k.a. Karl) 1916-1918
Estonian Presidents and Prime Ministers:
1 state elder/prime minister
(state elder/prime minister) Kaarel Eenpalu (a.k.a. Karl) 1932; 1938-1939
Fictional Characters from Television:
2 characters
Karl Kennedy 1985 Neighbours
Karl Mayer 2004 Desperate Housewives
Finnish Presidents and Prime Ministers:
1 prime minister
(prime minister) Karl-August Fagerholm 1948-1950; 1956-1957; 1958-1959
Frankish and French Kings:
1 king
King Charles the Fat (a.k.a. Karl) 884-887
German Chancellors and Presidents:
3 chancellors, 3 presidents
(chancellor) Bernhard von Bülow (middle name Karl) 1900-1909
(chancellor) Joseph Wirth (a.k.a. Karl) 1921-1922
(president) Heinrich Lübke (a.k.a. Karl) 1959-1969
(chancellor) Willy Brandt (middle name Karl) 1969-1974
(president) Karl Carstens 1979-1984
(president) Richard von Weizsäcker (middle name Karl) 1984-1994
German Kings and Holy Roman Emperors:
6 king-emperors, 2 emperors
Emperor Karl I the Great 800-814
Emperor Karl II the Bald 875-877
King-Emperor Karl III the Fat 876-887
King-Emperor Karl IV 1346-1378
King-Emperor Karl V 1519-1556
King-Emperor Karl VI 1711-1740
King-Emperor Karl VII Albrecht 1742-1745
King-Emperor Franz II (middle name Karl) 1792-1806
Hall-of-Famers:
1 basketball
(basketball) Karl Malone 2010
Hungarian Kings and Queens:
5 kings
King Károly III (a.k.a. Karl) 1711-1740
King Ferenc (middle name Karl) 1792-1835
King Ferdinánd V (middle name Karl) 1835-1848
King Ferenc József I (middle name Karl) 1848-1916
King Károly IV (a.k.a. Karl) 1916-1918
Hurricanes and Tropical Storms:
4 hurricanes, 2 storms
Hurricane Karl 1980
Hurricane Karl 1998
Hurricane Karl 2004
Hurricane Karl 2010
Storm Karl 2016
Storm Karl 2022
Most Valuable Players:
1 winner
Karl Malone 1997; 1999 basketball
Nobel Prize Winners:
3 chemistry, 2 medicine, 2 peace, 2 physics, 1 literature
(physics) Karl Ferdinand Braun 1909
(literature) Karl Adolph Gjellerup 1917
(peace) Hjalmar Branting (a.k.a. Karl) 1921
(chemistry) Hans von Euler-Chelpin (middle name Karl) 1929
(medicine) Karl Landsteiner 1930
(chemistry) Karl Ziegler 1963
(peace) Willy Brandt (middle name Karl) 1971
(medicine) Karl von Frisch 1973
(physics) K. Alex Müller (a.k.a. Karl) 1987
(chemistry) Karl Barry Sharpless 2001; 2022
Norwegian Kings and Queens:
4 kings
King Karl I 1449-1450
King Karl II 1814-1818
King Karl III Johan 1818-1844
King Karl IV 1859-1872
Notable Actors and Entertainers:
7 actors, 2 comedian/actors
Karl Dane 1886-1934
Gustav Knuth (middle name Karl) 1901-1987
Karl Malden 1912-2009
Gert Fröbe (a.k.a. Karl) 1913-1988
Karlheinz Böhm (a.k.a. Karl) 1928-2014
Freddie Prinze (middle name Karl) 1954-1977
Diedrich Bader (a.k.a. Karl) 1966-
Karl Shiels 1972-2019
Karl Urban 1972-
Notable Artists:
1 architect, 1 fashion designer
Adolf Loos (middle name Karl) 1870-1933
Karl Lagerfeld 1933-2019
Notable Athletes:
1 basketball, 1 chess, 1 ice hockey, 1 rugby, 1 skating, 1 soccer
(chess) Adolf Anderssen (a.k.a. Karl) 1818-1879
(skating) Karl Schäfer 1909-1976
(soccer) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 1955-
(basketball) Karl Malone 1963-
(rugby) Alasdair Strokosch (middle name Karl) 1983-
(ice hockey) P. K. Subban (middle name Karl) 1989-
Notable Businesspeople:
1 businessperson
Carl Benz (a.k.a. Karl) 1844-1929
Notable Military Figures:
1 admiral
Karl Dönitz 1891-1980
Notable Musicians:
1 musician
Karl Bartos 1952-
Notable Philosophers and Thinkers:
2 philosophers, 2 theologians, 1 economist, 1 geographer, 1 linguist, 1 mathematician
Carl Friedrich Gauss (a.k.a. Karl) 1777-1855
Carl Ritter (a.k.a. Karl) 1779-1859
Karl Marx 1818-1883
Karl Knies 1821-1898
Karl Verner 1846-1896
Adolf von Harnack (a.k.a. Karl) 1851-1930
Karl Barth 1886-1968
Karl Popper 1902-1994
Notable Politicians and Statespeople:
1 statesperson
Carl Adolph von Plessen (a.k.a. Karl) 1678-1758
Notable Scientists and Inventors:
4 inventors, 2 biologists, 2 physicists, 1 chemist, 1 physician
Carl Friedrich Gauss (a.k.a. Karl) 1777-1855
Karl Drais 1785-1851
Carl Benz (a.k.a. Karl) 1844-1929
Karl Ferdinand Braun 1850-1918
Rudolf Diesel (middle name Karl) 1858-1913
Karl Landsteiner 1868-1943
Karl von Frisch 1886-1982
Karl Ziegler 1898-1973
Hans Asperger (middle name Karl) 1906-1980
K. Alex Müller (a.k.a. Karl) 1927-2023
Notable Writers:
3 authors, 1 author/poet
Karl May 1842-1912
Joris-Karl Huysmans 1848-1907
Karl Adolph Gjellerup 1857-1919
Rainer Maria Rilke (middle name Karl) 1875-1926
Olympic Medalists:
12 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze, 2 silver/bronze, 1 bronze/silver, 1 gold/bronze
(silver/bronze) Karl Ruberl 1900 swimming - 200 m backstroke; swimming - 200 m freestyle
(silver) Karl Malmström 1908 diving - platform
(gold) Ulrich Salchow (a.k.a. Karl) 1908 figure skating
(silver) Karl Luther 1912 4x100 m relay
(silver) Bror Fock (middle name Karl) 1912 3000 m team
(gold) Hugo Wieslander (a.k.a. Karl) 1912 decathlon
(silver/bronze) Torsten Kumfeldt (a.k.a. Karl) 1908; 1912; 1920 water polo
(bronze) Sten Pettersson (middle name Karl) 1924 110 m hurdles
(gold) Karl Bähre 1928 water polo
(silver) Erik Svensson (a.k.a. Karl) 1932 triple jump
(gold) Karl Warner 1932 4x400 m relay
(gold) Karl Schäfer 1932 figure skating
(gold) Karl Hein 1936 hammer throw
(gold/bronze) Gerhard Stöck (middle name Karl) 1936 javelin throw; shot put
(bronze) Rune Larsson (a.k.a. Karl) 1948 400 m hurdles; 4x400 m relay
(silver) Karl Storch 1952 hammer throw
(bronze/silver) Karl-Friedrich Haas 1952; 1956 4x400 m relay; 400 m
(gold) Martin Lauer (a.k.a. Karl) 1960 4x100 m relay
(gold) Stephen Rerych (middle name Karl) 1968 swimming - 4x100 m freestyle relay; swimming - 4x200 m freestyle relay
(gold) Karl Malone 1992; 1996 basketball
(gold) Ronnie Sundin (a.k.a. Karl) 2006 ice hockey
(bronze) Robbie Grabarz (middle name Karl) 2012 high jump
(gold) Karl Schulze 2012 rowing
(bronze) Emil Jönsson (a.k.a. Karl) 2014 cross-country skiing
(gold) P. K. Subban (middle name Karl) 2014 ice hockey
Oscar Award Winners:
1 actor
(actor) Karl Malden 1952 A Streetcar Named Desire
Other Royalty:
21 princes, 2 archdukes, 1 emperor/king, 1 grand duke, 1 prince consort
Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein 1608-1627 Liechtenstein
Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein 1627-1684 Liechtenstein
Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein 1732-1748 Liechtenstein
Heinrich of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1747-1767 Prussia
Ludwig of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1773-1796 Prussia
Heinrich of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1781-1846 Prussia
Wilhelm of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1783-1851 Prussia
Friedrich Karl of Prussia 1828-1885 Prussia
Karl Ludwig of Austria 1833-1896 Austria-Hungary
Friedrich Leopold of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1865-1931 Prussia
Ferdinand Karl of Austria 1868-1911 Austria-Hungary
Joachim Albrecht of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1876-1939 Prussia
Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1880-1925 Prussia
Eitel Friedrich of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1883-1942 Prussia
Friedrich III (middle name Karl) 1888 German Empire; Prussia
Oskar of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1888-1958 Prussia
Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (middle name Karl) 1890-1905 Luxembourg
Friedrich Karl of Prussia 1893-1917 Prussia
Sigismund of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1896-1978 Prussia
Hubertus of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1909-1950 Prussia
Alexander Ferdinand of Prussia (middle name Karl) 1912-1985 Prussia
Karl Franz of Prussia 1916-1975 Prussia
Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein (middle name Karl) 1929-1938 Liechtenstein
Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (middle name Karl) 1938-1989 Liechtenstein
Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (middle name Karl) 1948-1980 Netherlands
Karl Ludwig of Liechtenstein 2016- Liechtenstein
Saints:
2 blessed
Blessed Karl of Austria 1887-1922
Blessed Karl Leisner 1915-1945
Spanish Kings and Queens:
1 king
King Carlos I (a.k.a. Karl) 1516-1556
Swedish Kings and Queens:
10 kings
King Karl I (or VII) 1161-1167
King Karl II (or VIII) 1448-1457; 1464-1465; 1467-1470
King Karl IX 1604-1611
King Karl X Gustav 1654-1660
King Karl XI 1660-1697
King Karl XII 1697-1718
King Karl XIII 1809-1818
King Karl XIV Johan 1818-1844
King Karl XV 1859-1872
King Carl XVI Gustaf (a.k.a. Karl) 1973-
Swedish Prime Ministers:
2 prime ministers
Karl Staaff 1905-1906; 1911-1914
Hjalmar Branting (a.k.a. Karl) 1920; 1921-1923; 1924-1925
Swiss Presidents:
4 presidents
Karl Schenk 1865; 1871; 1874; 1878; 1885; 1893
Adolf Deucher (middle name Karl) 1886; 1897; 1903; 1909
Karl Scheurer 1923
Karl Kobelt 1946; 1952