Total births
91,586
Girls' name · since 1915
Karla
Karla has 91,586 recorded births since 1915 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1964 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #733
- among girls today
- 91,586
- born since 1915
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Karla currently ranks #733 among girls' names in America, with 91,586 babies recorded since 1915.
Karla has 91,586 recorded births among girls since 1915, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #733 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2025.
- #733 among girls today
- 91,586 born since 1915
- 1960s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Karla is currently the #733 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 91,586 born since 1915, peaking in the 1960s.
- #733
- among girls today
- 91,586
- born since 1915
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Karla vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#733
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Karla was born in this single decade.
1964
Single peak year
2,060 babies were named Karla in 1964 - its busiest year on record.
How Karla compares
91,586 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
Karla's all-time total is 240x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Karla | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 91,586 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,060 | 48 | 19,840 |
Karla's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Karla's SSA record in two at 1972 and the more recent half accounts for 61% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 39%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1919, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1964 peak of 2,060, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Karla at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1964
Current rank
#733
Active since
1915
Karla popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (1964)
- 2,060
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Karla popularity over time - boys
309 total births recorded since 1959 (Karla as boys' name)
Karla by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Karla's strongest decade.
17,716 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Karla births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 26
1910s
26 births
- 1920s 65
1920s
65 births
- 1930s 536
1930s
536 births
- 1940s 3,102
1940s
3,102 births
- 1950s
1950s
11,462 births
- 1960s
1960s
17,716 births
- 1970s
1970s
11,367 births
- 1980s
1980s
9,360 births
- 1990s
1990s
12,873 births
- 2000s
2000s
16,145 births
- 2010s 6,555
2010s
6,555 births
- 2020s 2,379
2020s
2,379 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 17,716 births (19% of all-time use).
How Karla 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 Karla's total volume
Karla vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Karla by state
Where Karla concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 17,703 | 19.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 12,197 | 13.3% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 4,991 | 5.4% |
| #4 | New York | | 3,639 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 3,141 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Florida | | 2,965 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 2,632 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Iowa | | 2,243 | 2.4% |
California share of Karla's total US births 19.3%
Even split
17,703 of 91,586 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Karla appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karla? ▼
91,586 babies have been named Karla since 1915. It currently ranks #733 among girls. The peak year was 1964 with 2,060 births.
When was Karla most popular? ▼
Karla was most popular in the 1960s decade with 17,716 total births. The single peak year was 1964.
Where is Karla most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Karla are California (17,703 births), Texas (12,197 births), Illinois (4,991 births).
How long has the name Karla been used? ▼
Records for Karla go back to 1915, giving 111 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Karla? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Karen, Kara, Karina, Kari, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Karla's data
- Karla's decade-level peak was the 1960s (17,716 total births); usage has since declined to 2,379 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karlas (17,703 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 Karla
Nearby Names Like Karla
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karla
Karen Girl
#1251 987,989 births
Kara Girl
#990 101,743 births
Karina Girl
#772 61,464 births
Kari Girl
#1843 59,696 births
Karin Girl
#8000 28,532 births
Compare Karla side by side: Karla vs Karen Karla vs Kara Karla vs Karina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Karla
Louisa #732
21,932 births · Peak 2021
Winona #734
12,953 births · Peak 2025
Kayleigh #731
34,561 births · Peak 2009
Celia #735
56,642 births · Peak 1915
Charley #730
11,347 births · Peak 2014
Persephone #736
4,960 births · Peak 2022
Laurel #729
47,113 births · Peak 1956
Emmie #737
10,387 births · Peak 2018
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, 1915–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Karla: #733 Girls' Name - 91,586 Births, Peak 1964." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/karla. 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 Karla 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.