Karl Gerhard was born the 12th of April 1891, and was baptized in the name of Karl Emil Georg Johnson. He later changed it to Karl Emil Gerhard Johnson and used Gerhard Johnson as a form of artistic name. A few years later, by proposistion of a fellow artist, he started to use Karl-Gerhard, and a few years from that he wrote to the King of Sweden to get permission to make Gerhard his surname. The permission was granted, and Karl Gerhard wore his new name until his death, the 22nd of April, 1964.