What Does Juan Carlos Mean?

The name Juan, pronounced as "wahn" is a name of Spanish origin. It is a variant of the name John, which means "God is gracious." "Carlos" also has a Spanish origin. As a variant of the popular name Charles, the word means "free man" in Old German.

The most popular person bearing this name is King Juan Carlos of Spain. He was born on January 5, 1938 in Rome. The grandson of Alfonso XIII, the king of Spain, Juan Carlos lived in exile till the year 1947. After Francisco Franco, the Spanish general and dictator abolished the republic of Spain and proclaimed it as a representative monarchy; he trained and shaped the military career of Juan Carlos. In 1969 Juan Carlos was chosen as a prince. Following the death of his mentor in the year 1975, Juan became the king of Spain.

Unlike his mentor, the king's views were aligned to parliamentary democracy. There was a military coup to usurp him from the throne in the year 1981 which was foiled. Juan Carlos, the believer in democratic form of governance was the first Spanish king to visit America. King Juan Carlos has won a lot of goodwill and respect thanks to his sensitive and intelligent nature.