Total births
4,169
Girls' name · since 1897
Carma
Carma has 4,169 recorded births since 1897 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1961 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #11157
- among girls today
- 4,169
- born since 1897
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Carma is the #11157 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 4,169 recorded since 1897.
Carma has 4,169 recorded births among girls since 1897, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #11157 as of the latest data, more common than 37% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1897 to 2025.
- #11157 among girls today
- 4,169 born since 1897
- 1950s peak decade
- 37% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Carma is currently the #11157 girls' name in America, more common than 37% of girls - 4,169 born since 1897, peaking in the 1950s.
- #11157
- among girls today
- 4,169
- born since 1897
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Carma vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#11157
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 37% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
15% of everyone ever named Carma was born in this single decade.
1961
Single peak year
76 babies were named Carma in 1961 - its busiest year on record.
How Carma compares
4,169 Top 15% higher than 85% 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
Carma's all-time total is 11x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carma | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,169 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 76 | 48 | 19,840 |
Carma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Carma's SSA record in two at 1963 and the more recent half accounts for 37% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 63%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1897, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1961 peak of 76, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Carma at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1961
Current rank
#11,157
Active since
1897
Carma popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1897–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 76
- Annual births at peak, across 129 years of records
Carma by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Carma's strongest decade.
623 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Carma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 31
1900s
31 births
- 1910s 178
1910s
178 births
- 1920s
1920s
423 births
- 1930s
1930s
612 births
- 1940s
1940s
567 births
- 1950s
1950s
623 births
- 1960s
1960s
546 births
- 1970s
1970s
353 births
- 1980s 157
1980s
157 births
- 1990s 75
1990s
75 births
- 2000s
2000s
255 births
- 2010s
2010s
275 births
- 2020s 69
2020s
69 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 623 births (15% of all-time use).
How Carma 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 Carma's total volume
Carma vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Carma by state
Where Carma concentrates geographically, total births since 1897
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Utah | | 532 | 12.8% |
| #2 | Idaho | | 155 | 3.7% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 153 | 3.7% |
| #4 | Iowa | | 56 | 1.3% |
| #5 | California | | 48 | 1.2% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 25 | 0.6% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 24 | 0.6% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 19 | 0.5% |
Utah share of Carma's total US births 12.8%
Even split
532 of 4,169 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 14 reporting states.
Carma appears in 14 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carma? ▼
4,169 babies have been named Carma since 1897. It currently ranks #11157 among girls. The peak year was 1961 with 76 births.
When was Carma most popular? ▼
Carma was most popular in the 1950s decade with 623 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Carma most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Carma are Utah (532 births), Idaho (155 births), Ohio (153 births).
How long has the name Carma been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Carma since 1897 -- 129 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Carma? ▼
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 Carma's data
- Carma's decade-level peak was the 1950s (623 total births); usage has since declined to 69 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Utah records the most Carmas (532 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Utah 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 Carma
Nearby Names Like Carma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carma
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 Carma side by side: Carma vs Carol Carma vs Carolyn Carma vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carma
Nydia #11156
3,704 births · Peak 1992
Illa #11158
1,800 births · Peak 1926
Sayde #11155
725 births · Peak 2009
Ambrosia #11159
1,700 births · Peak 1981
Merna #11154
2,461 births · Peak 1930
Heloise #11160
705 births · Peak 1915
Senia #11153
576 births · Peak 1994
Marcelline #11161
1,073 births · Peak 1928
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, 1897–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Carma: #11157 Girls' Name - 4,169 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/carma. 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 Carma 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.