Total births
101,743
Girls' name · since 1896
Kara
101,743 babies named Kara in U.S. Social Security records since 1896, with the highest year being 1991. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #990
- among girls today
- 101,743
- born since 1896
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Kara currently ranks #990 among girls' names in America, with 101,743 babies recorded since 1896.
Kara has 101,743 recorded births among girls since 1896, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #990 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1896 to 2025.
- #990 among girls today
- 101,743 born since 1896
- 1980s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kara is currently the #990 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 101,743 born since 1896, peaking in the 1980s.
- #990
- among girls today
- 101,743
- born since 1896
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Kara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#990
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Kara was born in this single decade.
1991
Single peak year
3,281 babies were named Kara in 1991 - its busiest year on record.
How Kara compares
101,743 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Kara's all-time total is 266x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kara | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 101,743 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,281 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kara splits its recorded history at 1977: 80% of all births land in the more recent half, 20% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1896 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1991 peak of 3,281 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kara at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1991
Current rank
#990
Active since
1896
Kara popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1896–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 3,281
- Annual births at peak, across 130 years of records
Kara popularity over time - boys
282 total births recorded since 1915 (Kara as boys' name)
Kara by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Kara's strongest decade.
27,506 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Kara births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1910s 7
1910s
7 births
- 1930s 81
1930s
81 births
- 1940s 221
1940s
221 births
- 1950s 743
1950s
743 births
- 1960s 7,039
1960s
7,039 births
- 1970s
1970s
19,760 births
- 1980s
1980s
27,506 births
- 1990s
1990s
23,514 births
- 2000s
2000s
13,491 births
- 2010s 7,487
2010s
7,487 births
- 2020s 1,889
2020s
1,889 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 27,506 births (27% of all-time use).
How Kara 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 Kara's total volume
Kara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kara by state
Where Kara concentrates geographically, total births since 1896
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 7,299 | 7.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 6,337 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 6,137 | 6.0% |
| #4 | New York | | 5,990 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 5,509 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 5,229 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 4,488 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 3,627 | 3.6% |
California share of Kara's total US births 7.2%
Even split
7,299 of 101,743 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kara appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kara? ▼
101,743 babies have been named Kara since 1896. It currently ranks #990 among girls. The peak year was 1991 with 3,281 births.
When was Kara most popular? ▼
Kara was most popular in the 1980s decade with 27,506 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Kara most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kara are California (7,299 births), Texas (6,337 births), Ohio (6,137 births).
How long has the name Kara been used? ▼
Kara has been recorded in Social Security data since 1896, spanning 130 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kara? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Karen, Karla, Karina, Kari, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kara's data
- Kara's decade-level peak was the 1980s (27,506 total births); usage has since declined to 1,889 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karas (7,299 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 Kara
Nearby Names Like Kara
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kara
Karen Girl
#1251 987,989 births
Karla Girl
#733 91,586 births
Karina Girl
#772 61,464 births
Kari Girl
#1843 59,696 births
Karin Girl
#8000 28,532 births
Compare Kara side by side: Kara vs Karen Kara vs Karla Kara vs Karina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kara
Zayla #989
3,949 births · Peak 2023
Lavender #991
2,323 births · Peak 2024
Harmoni #988
5,549 births · Peak 2020
Maelynn #992
2,916 births · Peak 2024
Mariella #987
5,213 births · Peak 2025
Bailee #993
16,240 births · Peak 2000
Kiera #986
21,851 births · Peak 2007
Arisbeth #994
2,024 births · Peak 2025
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, 1896–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kara: #990 Girls' Name - 101,743 Births, Peak 1991." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kara. 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 Kara 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.