Total births
66,466
Girls' name · since 1951
Carly
Carly has 66,466 recorded births since 1951 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1995 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #876
- among girls today
- 66,466
- born since 1951
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
66,466 babies have been named Carly since 1951, making it today's #876 girls' name.
Carly has 66,466 recorded births among girls since 1951, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #876 as of the latest data, more common than 95% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1951 to 2025.
- #876 among girls today
- 66,466 born since 1951
- 1990s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Carly is currently the #876 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 66,466 born since 1951, peaking in the 1990s.
- #876
- among girls today
- 66,466
- born since 1951
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Carly vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#876
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Carly was born in this single decade.
1995
Single peak year
2,585 babies were named Carly in 1995 - its busiest year on record.
How Carly compares
66,466 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Carly's all-time total is 174x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carly | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 66,466 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,585 | 48 | 19,840 |
Carly's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Carly splits its recorded history at 1996: 56% of all births land in the more recent half, 44% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1953 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1995 peak of 2,585 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Carly at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1995
Current rank
#876
Active since
1951
Carly popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1951–2025
- Peak year (1995)
- 2,585
- Annual births at peak, across 75 years of records
Carly popularity over time - boys
160 total births recorded since 1973 (Carly as boys' name)
Carly by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Carly's strongest decade.
22,791 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Carly births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 24
1950s
24 births
- 1960s 7
1960s
7 births
- 1970s 2,980
1970s
2,980 births
- 1980s
1980s
12,475 births
- 1990s
1990s
22,791 births
- 2000s
2000s
16,688 births
- 2010s
2010s
9,300 births
- 2020s 2,201
2020s
2,201 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 22,791 births (34% of all-time use).
How Carly 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 Carly's total volume
Carly vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Carly by state
Where Carly concentrates geographically, total births since 1951
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 6,437 | 9.7% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 4,426 | 6.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 4,264 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 3,639 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 3,373 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 3,070 | 4.6% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 3,057 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 2,937 | 4.4% |
California share of Carly's total US births 9.7%
Even split
6,437 of 66,466 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Carly appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carly? ▼
Since 1951, Social Security records show 66,466 babies named Carly. Today it holds rank #876 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1995, with 2,585 births.
When was Carly most popular? ▼
Carly was most popular in the 1990s decade with 22,791 total births. The single peak year was 1995.
Where is Carly most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Carly are California (6,437 births), Pennsylvania (4,426 births), New York (4,264 births).
How long has the name Carly been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Carly since 1951 -- 75 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Carly? ▼
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 Carly's data
- Carly's decade-level peak was the 1990s (22,791 total births); usage has since declined to 2,201 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Carlys (6,437 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 Carly
Nearby Names Like Carly
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carly
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 Carly side by side: Carly vs Carol Carly vs Carolyn Carly vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carly
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, 1951–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Carly: #876 Girls' Name - 66,466 Births, Peak 1995." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/carly. 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 Carly 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.