Unisex name · since 1888

Carmel

7,216 babies named Carmel in U.S. Social Security records since 1888, with the highest year being 1962. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#2,038 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#4,996 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
7,216
born since 1888
1920s
peak decade

Carmel currently ranks #4996 among unisex names in America, with 7,216 babies recorded since 1888.

Social Security Administration records show Carmel recorded 7,216 times among girls since 1888, holding rank #4996 nationally today, ahead of 71% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1888 to 2025.

  • #2,038 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #4,996 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 7,216 born since 1888
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carmel ranks #2,038 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,996 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 7,216 born since 1888, peaking in the 1920s.

#2,038 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#4,996 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
7,216
born since 1888
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%71.1%
Carmel vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Carmel's 7,216 recorded births place it above 97.18% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

27 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

27 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Carmel compares

7,216 Top 11% higher than 89% 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

Carmel's all-time total is 19x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Carmel Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 7,216 376 567,345
Peak-year births 155 21 19,840

Carmel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Carmel splits its recorded history at 1958: 39% of all births land in the more recent half, 61% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1888 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1962 peak of 155 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Carmel popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1888–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1962)
155
Annual births at peak, across 138 years of records
050100150200 188819081925194219591976199320102025 26

Carmel popularity over time - boys

1,393 total births recorded since 1906 (Carmel as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 1,393 births
0102030405060 190619211934194719601977199920172025 11

Carmel by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (1,218 births, 17% of the file).

1920s was Carmel's strongest decade.

1,218 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.

Carmel births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,218 births (17% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Carmel 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 Carmel's total volume

Carmel vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -111, 3.9%-25, 13%-27, 11.2%-109, 3.5%-144, 5.3%-121, 2.7%-114, 4.7%-146, 2.8%-75, 8.9%-113, 5.2%-56, 5.3%-146, 2.5%-95, 8.2%-98, 9.1%-82, 6.3%Carmel-138, 2.1%Carmel
Carmel vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Carmel by state

Where Carmel concentrates geographically, total births since 1888

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Carmel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
825 11.4%
#2 New York
720 10.0%
#3 Texas
419 5.8%
#4 Pennsylvania
398 5.5%
#5 Ohio
367 5.1%
#6 Connecticut
272 3.8%
#7 Louisiana
111 1.5%
#8 Illinois
105 1.5%
California share of Carmel's total US births 11.4%
Even split

825 of 7,216 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.

Carmel appears in 27 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Carmel? ▼
Since 1888, Social Security records show 7,216 babies named Carmel. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #2,038 of 72,339 girls' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #4,996 of 17,297 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1962, with 155 births.
Where does Carmel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carmel ranks #2,038 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,996 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Carmel most popular? ▼
Carmel was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,218 total births. The single peak year was 1962.
Where is Carmel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Carmel are California (825 births), New York (720 births), Texas (419 births).
Is Carmel a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Carmel is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 7,216 births, and as a boy's name it has 1,393 births.
How long has the name Carmel been used? ▼
Carmel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1888, spanning 138 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Carmel? ▼
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 Carmel's data

  • Carmel's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,218 total births); usage has since declined to 112 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Carmels (825 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Carmel

Nearby Names Like Carmel

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carmel

Carol Girl
#2240 816,928 births
Carolyn Girl
#1222 556,777 births
Carrie Girl
#2719 266,350 births
Caroline Girl
#96 250,410 births
Carla Girl
#1082 150,390 births

Compare Carmel side by side: Carmel vs Carol Carmel vs Carolyn Carmel vs Carrie

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Carmel

Arla #4995
2,789 births · Peak 1934
Mela #4997
1,015 births · Peak 2019
Ebba #4994
925 births · Peak 1898
Thais #4998
2,225 births · Peak 2001
Olivette #4993
788 births · Peak 1920
Deena #4999
13,666 births · Peak 1970
Vira #4992
1,274 births · Peak 1916
Enora #5000
192 births · Peak 2025

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Carmel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1888–2025 (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 Carmel 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.