Karel (given name)

Karel (/ˈkɑːrəl/ KAR-əl) is a masculine given name in Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Slovene and Swedish. It is a variant of the English and French name Charles, meaning 'free man'. 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. 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.