Girls' name · since 1941
Cari
Cari has 12,757 recorded births since 1941 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1976 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,440 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #9,550 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,757
- born since 1941
- 1970s
- peak decade
Cari currently ranks #9550 among girls' names in America, with 12,757 babies recorded since 1941.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cari has been recorded 12,757 times among girls since 1941, currently ranked #9550 nationally and more common than 45% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1941 to 2025.
- #1,440 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #9,550 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 12,757 born since 1941
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cari ranks #1,440 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,550 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 12,757 born since 1941, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,440 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #9,550 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,757
- born since 1941
- 1970s
- peak decade
Cari's 12,757 recorded births place it above 98% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
41 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Cari compares
12,757 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,297 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
Cari's all-time total is 34x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cari | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,757 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 541 | 21 | 19,840 |
Cari's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Cari's SSA record in two at 1986 and the more recent half accounts for 23% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 77%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1941, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1976 peak of 541, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Cari popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1941–2025
- Peak year (1976)
- 541
- Annual births at peak, across 85 years of records
Cari popularity over time - boys
113 total births recorded since 1957 (Cari as boys' name)
Cari by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (4,432 births, 35% of the file).
1970s was Cari's strongest decade.
4,432 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Cari births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 21
1940s
21 births
- 1950s 547
1950s
547 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,756 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,432 births
- 1980s
1980s
3,068 births
- 1990s 1,260
1990s
1,260 births
- 2000s 259
2000s
259 births
- 2010s 252
2010s
252 births
- 2020s 162
2020s
162 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 4,432 births (35% of all-time use).
How Cari 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 Cari's total volume
Cari by state
Where Cari concentrates geographically, total births since 1941
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,683 | 13.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 866 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 778 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 596 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 573 | 4.5% |
| #6 | New York | | 495 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 402 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 379 | 3.0% |
1,683 of 12,757 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Cari appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cari? ▼
Where does Cari sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cari most popular? ▼
Where is Cari most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cari been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cari? ▼
What to do with Cari's data
- Cari's decade-level peak was the 1970s (4,432 total births); usage has since declined to 162 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Caris (1,683 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cari
Nearby Names Like Cari
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cari
Compare Cari side by side: Cari vs Carol Cari vs Carolyn Cari vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cari
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cari: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1976)
Similar record span (~84 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1941–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Cari 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 August 2026.