Karel is of Czech origin and means 'freeholder' or 'strong'. It is composed of two elements, 'kral' meaning 'king', and '-ek', a diminutive suffix. Karel was the name of several historic Czech kings, with the most famous being Saint Wenceslaus I, who ruled in the 10th century. The name Karel has been widely used throughout Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic, where it remains one of the top male names. It has also gained popularity elsewhere, including in Scandinavia and Germany.
Based on the provided statistics, the name Karel appears to have had varied popularity over the years, with significant fluctuations in the number of annual births. The peak years for the name Karel were 1985 and 2023, with 13 births each year. Conversely, there were periods of low popularity, such as between 1944 and 1973, where the name was given to five or fewer children annually. Overall, a total of 591 babies named Karel were born within this dataset.