Total births
40
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.
- 40
- total births
- 1945–2000
- years on record
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 45%
- born in that 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.
- 40 total births
- 1945–2000 years on record
- 1940s peak decade
- 45% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
40 boys have been named Carlan since 1945, peaking in the 1940s, last recorded in 2000.
- 40
- total births
- 1945–2000
- years on record
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 45%
- born in that decade
1940s
Peak decade
45% of everyone ever named Carlan was born in this single decade.
1946
Single peak year
7 babies were named Carlan in 1946 - its busiest year on record.
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 at a glance
Last recorded 2000Peak year
1946
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1945
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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? ▼
40 babies have been named Carlan since 1945. It was last recorded in 2000. The peak year was 1946 with 7 births.
When was Carlan most popular? ▼
Carlan was most popular in the 1940s decade with 18 total births. The single peak year was 1946.
Is Carlan a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Carlan is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 40 births, and as a girl's name it has 25 births.
How long has the name Carlan been used? ▼
Carlan has been recorded in Social Security data since 1945, spanning 56 years of data through 2000.
What names are similar to Carlan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Carl, Carlos, Carter, Carson, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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.
- 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 Carlan
Nearby Names Like Carlan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carlan
Carl Boy
#1031 504,827 births
Carlos Boy
#135 307,036 births
Carter Boy
#46 206,833 births
Carson Boy
#124 132,774 births
Carlton Boy
#2791 48,890 births
Compare Carlan side by side: Carlan vs Carl Carlan vs Carlos Carlan vs Carter
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Carlan: Baby Name Since 1945 - 40 Births, Peak 1946." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/carlan. 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 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 July 2026.