Etymology

ME carl(e) is always derived from ON, cp. karl 'man, common man' (< PGmc *karlaz, cp. OHG karl, karal), as opposed to ME cherl < OE ceorl 'man, peasant', from an Ablaut variant PGmc *kerlaz (cp. OFris zerl, MLG kerle) causing palatalisation in OE.

PGmc Ancestor

*karlaz

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

karl 'man, common man'
(ONP karl (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far kallur, Icel karl, Norw kall, kar, Dan karl, runic Sw karilR, Sw karl

OE Cognate

cp. ceorl 'man, peasant'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

B2a

Attestation

MED records spellings indicating the Norse-derived form in surnames from the 13c. and widespread use in literary texts from the start of the 14c. onwards (but earlier in the compound <carlmen> in ?a1160 Peterb.Chron. (LdMisc 636)). It survives in N dial of MnE (EDD).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 208, 876

Bibliography

MED carl (n.) , OED carl, carle (n.1) , HTOED , EDD carl(e (sb.1), Bj. 141n, 215, de Vries karl, Mag. karl, Orel *karlaz ~ *kerlaz, Kroonen *kerla- ~ *karla-, DOE ceorl, AEW ceorl