Unisex name · since 1955
Karmel
137 babies named Karmel in U.S. Social Security records since 1955, with the highest year being 1966. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #23,717 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 137
- born since 1955
- 1960s
- peak decade
Karmel is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 137 have been recorded since 1955.
Social Security Administration records show Karmel recorded 137 times among girls since 1955, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1955 to 2021.
- #23,717 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 137 born since 1955
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Karmel ranks #23,717 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 137 born since 1955, peaking in the 1960s.
- #23,717 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 137
- born since 1955
- 1960s
- peak decade
Karmel's 137 recorded births place it above 67.16% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Karmel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Karmel splits its recorded history at 1969: 47% of all births land in the more recent half, 53% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1960 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1966 peak of 10 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Karmel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1955–2021
- Peak year (1966)
- 10
- Annual births at peak, across 67 years of records
No longer in the modern top-1000, last recorded 2021.
137 total births across 67 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1966 with 10 births in a single year.
Karmel popularity over time - boys
21 total births recorded since 2006 (Karmel as boys' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The boys' variant of Karmel accounts for 13% of total recorded use across both genders.
Karmel by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (56 births, 41% of the file).
1960s was Karmel's strongest decade.
56 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Karmel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 22
1950s
22 births
- 1960s
1960s
56 births
- 1970s
1970s
32 births
- 1980s 11
1980s
11 births
- 2010s 11
2010s
11 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 56 births (41% of all-time use).
Karmel decade highlights
- Peak decade 56 births
- Runner-up 32 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karmel? ▼
Where does Karmel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Karmel most popular? ▼
Is Karmel a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Karmel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Karmel? ▼
What to do with Karmel's data
- Karmel's decade-level peak was the 1960s (56 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Karmel
Nearby Names Like Karmel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karmel
Compare Karmel side by side: Karmel vs Karen Karmel vs Kara Karmel vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Karmel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1966)
Similar record span (~66 yrs)
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, 1955–2021 (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 Karmel 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.
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