Total births
53,305
Girls' name · since 1882
Cara
53,305 babies named Cara in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1985. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1296
- among girls today
- 53,305
- born since 1882
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
53,305 babies have been named Cara since 1882, making it today's #1296 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Cara recorded 53,305 times among girls since 1882, holding rank #1296 nationally today, ahead of 93% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #1296 among girls today
- 53,305 born since 1882
- 1980s peak decade
- 93% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cara is currently the #1296 girls' name in America, more common than 93% of girls - 53,305 born since 1882, peaking in the 1980s.
- #1296
- among girls today
- 53,305
- born since 1882
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Cara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1296
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Cara was born in this single decade.
1985
Single peak year
1,465 babies were named Cara in 1985 - its busiest year on record.
How Cara compares
53,305 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cara's all-time total is 140x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cara | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 53,305 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,465 | 48 | 19,840 |
Cara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cara's full recorded timeline at 1954, 96% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 4% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1985 peak of 1,465 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cara at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1985
Current rank
#1,296
Active since
1882
Cara popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1985)
- 1,465
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Cara popularity over time - boys
62 total births recorded since 1976 (Cara as boys' name)
Cara by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Cara's strongest decade.
13,277 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Cara births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 63
1880s
63 births
- 1890s 91
1890s
91 births
- 1900s 113
1900s
113 births
- 1910s 219
1910s
219 births
- 1920s 281
1920s
281 births
- 1930s 305
1930s
305 births
- 1940s 492
1940s
492 births
- 1950s 1,291
1950s
1,291 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,779 births
- 1970s
1970s
10,413 births
- 1980s
1980s
13,277 births
- 1990s
1990s
9,844 births
- 2000s
2000s
6,034 births
- 2010s 3,830
2010s
3,830 births
- 2020s 1,273
2020s
1,273 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 13,277 births (25% of all-time use).
How Cara compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Cara's total volume
Cara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Cara by state
Where Cara concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,337 | 8.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 4,096 | 7.7% |
| #3 | Texas | | 3,272 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 3,142 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 2,910 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 2,660 | 5.0% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 1,992 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,864 | 3.5% |
California share of Cara's total US births 8.1%
Even split
4,337 of 53,305 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Cara appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cara? ▼
53,305 babies have been named Cara since 1882. It currently ranks #1296 among girls. The peak year was 1985 with 1,465 births.
When was Cara most popular? ▼
Cara was most popular in the 1980s decade with 13,277 total births. The single peak year was 1985.
Where is Cara most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cara are California (4,337 births), New York (4,096 births), Texas (3,272 births).
How long has the name Cara been used? ▼
Records for Cara go back to 1882, giving 144 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Cara? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Carol, Carolyn, Carrie, Caroline, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Cara's data
- Cara's decade-level peak was the 1980s (13,277 total births); usage has since declined to 1,273 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Caras (4,337 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cara
Nearby Names Like Cara
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cara
Carol Girl
#2639 816,928 births
Carolyn Girl
#1160 556,777 births
Carrie Girl
#3013 266,350 births
Caroline Girl
#92 250,410 births
Carla Girl
#1009 150,390 births
Compare Cara side by side: Cara vs Carol Cara vs Carolyn Cara vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cara
Eliette #1295
1,213 births · Peak 2025
Robyn #1297
63,364 births · Peak 1964
Aira #1294
1,318 births · Peak 2025
Khadijah #1298
7,596 births · Peak 1994
Patricia #1293
1,573,623 births · Peak 1951
Ameera #1299
3,447 births · Peak 2024
Lucie #1292
7,749 births · Peak 2025
Rhiannon #1300
15,539 births · Peak 1999
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cara: #1296 Girls' Name - 53,305 Births, Peak 1985." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cara. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cara draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.