Total births
1,426
Girls' name · since 1910
Carlena
1,426 babies named Carlena in U.S. Social Security records since 1910, with the highest year being 1975. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #11173
- among girls today
- 1,426
- born since 1910
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Carlena is the #11173 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 1,426 recorded since 1910.
Carlena has 1,426 recorded births among girls since 1910, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #11173 as of the latest data, more common than 37% of girls, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1910 to 2025.
- #11173 among girls today
- 1,426 born since 1910
- 1970s peak decade
- 37% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Carlena is currently the #11173 girls' name in America, more common than 37% of girls - 1,426 born since 1910, peaking in the 1970s.
- #11173
- among girls today
- 1,426
- born since 1910
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Carlena vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#11173
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 37% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Carlena was born in this single decade.
1975
Single peak year
42 babies were named Carlena in 1975 - its busiest year on record.
How Carlena compares
1,426 Top 26% higher than 74% 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
Carlena's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carlena | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,426 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 42 | 48 | 19,840 |
Carlena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Carlena's full recorded timeline at 1971, 59% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 41% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1912, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1975 peak of 42 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Carlena at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1975
Current rank
#11,173
Active since
1910
Carlena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1910–2025
- Peak year (1975)
- 42
- Annual births at peak, across 116 years of records
Carlena by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Carlena's strongest decade.
227 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Carlena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 40
1910s
40 births
- 1920s 70
1920s
70 births
- 1930s 62
1930s
62 births
- 1940s 90
1940s
90 births
- 1950s
1950s
111 births
- 1960s
1960s
191 births
- 1970s
1970s
227 births
- 1980s
1980s
207 births
- 1990s
1990s
174 births
- 2000s
2000s
125 births
- 2010s
2010s
97 births
- 2020s 32
2020s
32 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 227 births (16% of all-time use).
How Carlena 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 Carlena's total volume
Carlena vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Carlena by state
Where Carlena concentrates geographically, total births since 1910
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 21 | 1.5% |
| #2 | Alabama | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 5 | 0.4% |
California share of Carlena's total US births 1.5%
Even split
21 of 1,426 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carlena? ▼
1,426 babies have been named Carlena since 1910. It currently ranks #11173 among girls. The peak year was 1975 with 42 births.
When was Carlena most popular? ▼
Carlena was most popular in the 1970s decade with 227 total births. The single peak year was 1975.
Where is Carlena most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Carlena are California (21 births), Alabama (5 births), Ohio (5 births).
How long has the name Carlena been used? ▼
Records for Carlena go back to 1910, giving 116 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Carlena? ▼
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 Carlena's data
- Carlena's decade-level peak was the 1970s (227 total births); usage has since declined to 32 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Carlenas (21 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 Carlena
Nearby Names Like Carlena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carlena
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 Carlena side by side: Carlena vs Carol Carlena vs Carolyn Carlena vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carlena
Bridie #11172
374 births · Peak 1918
Rhonda #11174
208,069 births · Peak 1965
Nel #11171
133 births · Peak 2013
Matthew #11175
5,580 births · Peak 1983
Lorie #11170
21,964 births · Peak 1963
Myna #11176
301 births · Peak 1919
Arcelia #11169
1,836 births · Peak 1975
Elanore #11177
193 births · Peak 2022
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, 1910–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Carlena: #11173 Girls' Name - 1,426 Births, Peak 1975." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/carlena. 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 Carlena 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.