The name recalls Carl von Treskow, whose farmstead here was first recorded in 1825.
The Vorwerk (outlying farm) Carlshorst was first recorded on 11 September 1825. It was named after the first name of Carl von Treskow, owner of the Friedrichsfelde estate, combined with the field name 'Horst'. The railway first came for the racecourse opened in 1894; in 1901 the place and its station changed their spelling from Carlshorst to Karlshorst.