Total births
24,506
Girls' name · since 1882
Carmela
24,506 babies named Carmela in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1923. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1156
- among girls today
- 24,506
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
24,506 babies have been named Carmela since 1882, making it today's #1156 girls' name.
Carmela has 24,506 recorded births among girls since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1156 as of the latest data, more common than 93% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #1156 among girls today
- 24,506 born since 1882
- 1920s peak decade
- 93% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Carmela is currently the #1156 girls' name in America, more common than 93% of girls - 24,506 born since 1882, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1156
- among girls today
- 24,506
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Carmela vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1156
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Carmela was born in this single decade.
1923
Single peak year
586 babies were named Carmela in 1923 - its busiest year on record.
How Carmela compares
24,506 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Carmela's all-time total is 64x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carmela | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 24,506 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 586 | 48 | 19,840 |
Carmela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Carmela's full recorded timeline at 1956, 36% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 64% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1923 peak of 586 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Carmela at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1923
Current rank
#1,156
Active since
1882
Carmela popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1923)
- 586
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Carmela popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1984 (Carmela as boys' name)
Carmela by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Carmela's strongest decade.
5,430 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Carmela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 37
1880s
37 births
- 1890s 280
1890s
280 births
- 1900s 815
1900s
815 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,461 births
- 1920s
1920s
5,430 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,885 births
- 1940s 1,731
1940s
1,731 births
- 1950s 1,720
1950s
1,720 births
- 1960s 2,091
1960s
2,091 births
- 1970s 1,400
1970s
1,400 births
- 1980s 895
1980s
895 births
- 1990s 674
1990s
674 births
- 2000s 1,005
2000s
1,005 births
- 2010s 1,131
2010s
1,131 births
- 2020s 951
2020s
951 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 5,430 births (22% of all-time use).
How Carmela 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 Carmela's total volume
Carmela vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Carmela by state
Where Carmela concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 9,299 | 37.9% |
| #2 | New Jersey | | 2,251 | 9.2% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 1,868 | 7.6% |
| #4 | California | | 1,320 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Texas | | 920 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 852 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Connecticut | | 757 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 678 | 2.8% |
New York share of Carmela's total US births 37.9%
Even split
9,299 of 24,506 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 31 reporting states.
Carmela appears in 31 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carmela? ▼
Carmela has been given to 24,506 babies in the U.S. since 1882, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1156 as of the latest data. 586 babies were born in 1923, its single highest year.
When was Carmela most popular? ▼
Carmela was most popular in the 1920s decade with 5,430 total births. The single peak year was 1923.
Where is Carmela most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Carmela are New York (9,299 births), New Jersey (2,251 births), Pennsylvania (1,868 births).
How long has the name Carmela been used? ▼
Records for Carmela go back to 1882, giving 144 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Carmela? ▼
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 Carmela's data
- Carmela's decade-level peak was the 1920s (5,430 total births); usage has since declined to 951 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Carmelas (9,299 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Carmela
Nearby Names Like Carmela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carmela
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 Carmela side by side: Carmela vs Carol Carmela vs Carolyn Carmela vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carmela
Xolani #1155
1,039 births · Peak 2024
Shay #1157
8,227 births · Peak 2022
Elara #1154
1,790 births · Peak 2025
Averi #1158
7,909 births · Peak 2015
Angeline #1153
36,874 births · Peak 1921
Grecia #1159
6,318 births · Peak 2006
Marian #1152
141,944 births · Peak 1924
Carolyn #1160
556,777 births · Peak 1947
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, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Carmela: #1156 Girls' Name - 24,506 Births, Peak 1923." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/carmela. 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 Carmela 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.