ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1882 First Year 2026 Last Year 1985 Peak Year #184 Peak Rank 53K Total Count 144 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Cara What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Cara is a feminine given name with multiple origins in different languages. It is often considered a spelling variant of the name Kara. As an English name, it is usually considered a modern spelling variant of the Italian endearment cara, meaning beloved, or the Irish word cara, meaning friend. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cara%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cara%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English * Irish 📖 ## The Story of Cara The earliest SSA record of Cara as a baby girl name dates back to 1882, when 5 babies received it. 1985 was its biggest year on record, with 1,465 newborns named Cara — #184 in the national rankings. About 25% of every Cara on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Cara ranks #1,502 for baby girls with 144 births, falling sharply (-38%). All told, over 53K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Cara Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Cara. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Caragh](/caragh) * [Kara](/kara) * Karaugh ⭐ ## Notable people named Cara A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Cara Judea Alhadeff , American artist, writer, and yoga teacher * ●Cara Black , Zimbabwean professional tennis player * ●Cara Black (author) , American mystery writer * ●Cara Blue Adams , American author * ●Cara Buono , American actress * ●Cara Butler , Irish American stepdancer and choreographer * ●Cara Capuano , American sports anchor for ESPNU * ●Cara Carriveau (born 1966), Chicago radio personality Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cara%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cara%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Cara Phonetically similar names — useful when Cara is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Kara](/kara) * [Keira](/keira) * [Kera](/kera) * [Kaira](/kaira) * [Kiera](/kiera) * [Keara](/keara) * Curragh * [Carry](/carry) * [Kerry](/kerry) * [Carrie](/carrie) * [Carey](/carey) * [Cary](/cary) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Cara What does the name Cara mean? Cara is a feminine given name with multiple origins in different languages. It is often considered a spelling variant of the name Kara. As an English name, it is usually considered a modern spelling variant of the Italian endearment cara, meaning beloved, or the Irish word cara, meaning friend. What is the origin of the name Cara? Cara has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Irish. How popular is Cara in 2026? In 2026, Cara ranks #1,502 among girls' names in the U.S., with 144 babies given the name that year. When was Cara most popular? Cara reached its peak popularity in 1985, ranking #184 that year with 1,465 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Cara most popular? Cara has historically been most popular in New Hampshire, Vermont, Hawaii. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Cara. Is Cara a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Cara is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Cara? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cara include Daphne, Vivienne, Khadijah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Cara? Common variants and related forms of Cara include Caragh, Kara, Karaugh. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧DaphnePeak #184](/daphne)[👧ViviennePeak #184](/vivienne)[👧KhadijahPeak #184](/khadijah)[👧CharityPeak #183](/charity)[👧LeePeak #183](/lee)[👧AngelinePeak #183](/angeline)[👧AriellePeak #183](/arielle)[👧FannyPeak #182](/fanny) ## About the name Cara Cara is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 53K births in the dataset. Cara's peak popularity came in 1985 when it ranked #184\. Use the chart and map above to compare Cara's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1985 → ](/year/1985) * [ Names of the 1980s → ](/decade/1980s) * [ Names starting with "C" → ](/letter/c) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.