Karel (given name)

Gender	Male
Word/name	Common Germanic
Meaning	Free Man
Region of origin	Dutch, Czech
Nickname(s)	Karlík, Karlíček, Kája, Kadluška
Related names	Charles, Carl, Karl, Carol
Popularity	see popular names

Karel /ˈkɑːrəl/ is a given name in Dutch and Czech, equivalent to 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.

Famous Czechs with this given name include the poet Karel Hynek Mácha and Karel Řezáč, the journalist Karel Havlíček Borovský, the writer Karel Čapek (after whom the Karel programming language was named), the composer Karel Husa, and the singer Karel Gott.

The feminine version of the name, Karla, (diminutive Karlička) is infrequently used.

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