Unisex name · since 1945
Carlan
Carlan has 40 recorded births since 1945 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1946 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #23,660 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 40
- born since 1945
- 1940s
- peak decade
40 boys have been named Carlan since 1945, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Carlan has 40 recorded births among boys since 1945, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1945 to 2000.
- #23,660 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 40 born since 1945
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carlan ranks #23,660 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 40 born since 1945, peaking in the 1940s.
- #23,660 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 40
- born since 1945
- 1940s
- peak decade
Carlan's 40 recorded births place it above 47.64% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Carlan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Carlan splits its recorded history at 1979: 55% of all births land in the more recent half, 45% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1948 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1946 peak of 7 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Carlan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1945–2000
- Peak year (1946)
- 7
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Carlan popularity over time - girls
25 total births recorded since 1951 (Carlan as girls' name)
Carlan by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (18 births, 45% of the file).
1940s was Carlan's strongest decade.
18 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.
Carlan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s
1940s
18 births
- 1970s 6
1970s
6 births
- 1990s
1990s
11 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 18 births (45% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carlan? ▼
Where does Carlan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Carlan most popular? ▼
Is Carlan a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Carlan been used? ▼
What names are similar to Carlan? ▼
What to do with Carlan's data
- Carlan's decade-level peak was the 1940s (18 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2000s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Carlan
Nearby Names Like Carlan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carlan
Compare Carlan side by side: Carlan vs Carl Carlan vs Carlos Carlan vs Carter
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Carlan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1946)
Similar record span (~55 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, 1945–2000 (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 Carlan 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.