Girls' name · since 1921
Carley
Since 1921, U.S. Social Security records show 16,918 babies named Carley, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,177 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,726 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 16,918
- born since 1921
- 1990s
- peak decade
Carley currently ranks #2726 among girls' names in America, with 16,918 babies recorded since 1921.
Social Security Administration records show Carley recorded 16,918 times among girls since 1921, holding rank #2726 nationally today, ahead of 84% of girls, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1921 to 2025.
- #1,177 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,726 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 16,918 born since 1921
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carley ranks #1,177 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,726 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 16,918 born since 1921, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1,177 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,726 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 16,918
- born since 1921
- 1990s
- peak decade
Carley's 16,918 recorded births place it above 98.37% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Carley compares
16,918 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,297 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
Carley's all-time total is 45x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carley | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,918 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 713 | 21 | 19,840 |
Carley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Carley's SSA record in two at 1977 and the more recent half accounts for 96% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 4%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1921, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1998 peak of 713, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Carley popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1921–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 713
- Annual births at peak, across 105 years of records
Carley popularity over time - boys
410 total births recorded since 1912 (Carley as boys' name)
Carley by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (5,912 births, 35% of the file).
1990s was Carley's strongest decade.
5,912 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Carley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 129
1920s
129 births
- 1930s 112
1930s
112 births
- 1940s 78
1940s
78 births
- 1950s 60
1950s
60 births
- 1960s 38
1960s
38 births
- 1970s 443
1970s
443 births
- 1980s 1,776
1980s
1,776 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,912 births
- 2000s
2000s
5,585 births
- 2010s 2,290
2010s
2,290 births
- 2020s 495
2020s
495 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 5,912 births (35% of all-time use).
How Carley 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 Carley's total volume
Carley by state
Where Carley concentrates geographically, total births since 1921
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,254 | 7.4% |
| #2 | California | | 1,053 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 895 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 770 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 658 | 3.9% |
| #6 | New York | | 627 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Florida | | 624 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 534 | 3.2% |
1,254 of 16,918 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Carley appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carley? ▼
Where does Carley sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Carley most popular? ▼
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What to do with Carley's data
- Carley's decade-level peak was the 1990s (5,912 total births); usage has since declined to 495 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Carleys (1,254 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Carley
Nearby Names Like Carley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carley
Compare Carley side by side: Carley vs Carol Carley vs Carolyn Carley vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carley
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Carley: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~104 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, 1921–2025 (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 Carley 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.