Total births
12,757
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.
- #5832
- among girls today
- 12,757
- born since 1941
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 67%
- more common than other girls
Cari currently ranks #5832 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 #5832 nationally and more common than 67% 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.
- #5832 among girls today
- 12,757 born since 1941
- 1970s peak decade
- 67% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cari is currently the #5832 girls' name in America, more common than 67% of girls - 12,757 born since 1941, peaking in the 1970s.
- #5832
- among girls today
- 12,757
- born since 1941
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 67%
- more common than other girls
Cari vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5832
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 67% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
35% of everyone ever named Cari was born in this single decade.
1976
Single peak year
541 babies were named Cari in 1976 - its busiest year on record.
How Cari compares
12,757 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Cari's all-time total is 33x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cari | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,757 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 541 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1976
Current rank
#5,832
Active since
1941
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Cari's total US births 13.2%
Even split
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? ▼
12,757 babies have been named Cari since 1941. It currently ranks #5832 among girls. The peak year was 1976 with 541 births.
When was Cari most popular? ▼
Cari was most popular in the 1970s decade with 4,432 total births. The single peak year was 1976.
Where is Cari most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cari are California (1,683 births), Texas (866 births), Illinois (778 births).
How long has the name Cari been used? ▼
Records for Cari go back to 1941, giving 85 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Cari? ▼
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 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
- 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 Cari
Nearby Names Like Cari
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cari
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 Cari side by side: Cari vs Carol Cari vs Carolyn Cari vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cari
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, 1941–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cari: #5832 Girls' Name - 12,757 Births, Peak 1976." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cari. 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 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 June 2026.