Total births
150,390
Girls' name · since 1890
Carla
Carla has 150,390 recorded births since 1890 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1962 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1009
- among girls today
- 150,390
- born since 1890
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
150,390 babies have been named Carla since 1890, making it today's #1009 girls' name.
Carla has 150,390 recorded births among girls since 1890, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1009 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1890 to 2025.
- #1009 among girls today
- 150,390 born since 1890
- 1960s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Carla is currently the #1009 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 150,390 born since 1890, peaking in the 1960s.
- #1009
- among girls today
- 150,390
- born since 1890
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Carla vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1009
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
32% of everyone ever named Carla was born in this single decade.
1962
Single peak year
5,820 babies were named Carla in 1962 - its busiest year on record.
How Carla compares
150,390 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Carla's all-time total is 394x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carla | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 150,390 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,820 | 48 | 19,840 |
Carla's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Carla's full recorded timeline at 1963, 61% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 39% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1890, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1962 peak of 5,820 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Carla at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1962
Current rank
#1,009
Active since
1890
Carla popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1890–2025
- Peak year (1962)
- 5,820
- Annual births at peak, across 136 years of records
Carla popularity over time - boys
425 total births recorded since 1946 (Carla as boys' name)
Carla by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Carla's strongest decade.
47,905 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Carla births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 11
1890s
11 births
- 1900s 54
1900s
54 births
- 1910s 171
1910s
171 births
- 1920s 550
1920s
550 births
- 1930s 2,262
1930s
2,262 births
- 1940s 9,486
1940s
9,486 births
- 1950s
1950s
29,432 births
- 1960s
1960s
47,905 births
- 1970s
1970s
26,841 births
- 1980s 14,455
1980s
14,455 births
- 1990s 8,400
1990s
8,400 births
- 2000s 6,167
2000s
6,167 births
- 2010s 3,155
2010s
3,155 births
- 2020s 1,501
2020s
1,501 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 47,905 births (32% of all-time use).
How Carla 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 Carla's total volume
Carla vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Carla by state
Where Carla concentrates geographically, total births since 1890
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 15,877 | 10.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 12,628 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 8,427 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 8,256 | 5.5% |
| #5 | New York | | 7,247 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 6,252 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 5,233 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Florida | | 4,965 | 3.3% |
California share of Carla's total US births 10.6%
Even split
15,877 of 150,390 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Carla appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carla? ▼
150,390 babies have been named Carla since 1890. It currently ranks #1009 among girls. The peak year was 1962 with 5,820 births.
When was Carla most popular? ▼
Carla was most popular in the 1960s decade with 47,905 total births. The single peak year was 1962.
Where is Carla most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Carla are California (15,877 births), Texas (12,628 births), Ohio (8,427 births).
How long has the name Carla been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Carla since 1890 -- 136 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Carla? ▼
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 Carla's data
- Carla's decade-level peak was the 1960s (47,905 total births); usage has since declined to 1,501 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Carlas (15,877 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 Carla
Nearby Names Like Carla
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carla
Carol Girl
#2639 816,928 births
Carolyn Girl
#1160 556,777 births
Carrie Girl
#3013 266,350 births
Caroline Girl
#92 250,410 births
Carmen Girl
#417 142,795 births
Compare Carla side by side: Carla vs Carol Carla vs Carolyn Carla vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carla
Sariah #1008
9,594 births · Peak 2011
Savanna #1010
32,974 births · Peak 2006
Aminah #1007
5,536 births · Peak 2017
Melani #1011
5,912 births · Peak 2020
Romi #1006
1,810 births · Peak 2025
Betty #1012
1,001,238 births · Peak 1930
Eleni #1005
6,822 births · Peak 2024
Esperanza #1013
20,849 births · Peak 2000
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, 1890–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Carla: #1009 Girls' Name - 150,390 Births, Peak 1962." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/carla. 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 Carla 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.