Girl · #5,562 in 2026

Cari

Cari is an English, Welsh and Spanish feminine given name and surname. As an English given name, Cari is diminutive form of Caroline and an alternate form of Carrie both derived from Karl. Cari is a Spanish given name that is a short form of Caridad, a derivative of Caritas. Notable people referred to by this name include the following:

  • English
Current Rank
#5,562
Peak Rank
#379 (1976)
Total Babies
13K
5-Yr Trend
-8%
1941
First Year
2026
Last Year
1976
Peak Year
#379
Peak Rank
13K
Total Count
80
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Cari

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Cari is an English, Welsh and Spanish feminine given name and surname. As an English given name, Cari is diminutive form of Caroline and an alternate form of Carrie both derived from Karl. Cari is a Spanish given name that is a short form of Caridad, a derivative of Caritas. Notable people referred to by this name include the following:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Cari

American parents first put Cari on the record books as a baby girl name in 1941, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1976, when 541 Caris were born — ranking #379 that year. About 35% of every Cari on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Cari ranks #5,562 for baby girls with 22 births, gradually falling (-8%). All told, over 13K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s 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
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Top 10
11-50
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101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Cari

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Cari. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Cari

Phonetically similar names — useful when Cari is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cari

What does the name Cari mean?
Cari is an English, Welsh and Spanish feminine given name and surname. As an English given name, Cari is diminutive form of Caroline and an alternate form of Carrie both derived from Karl. Cari is a Spanish given name that is a short form of Caridad, a derivative of Caritas. Notable people referred to by this name include the following:
What is the origin of the name Cari?
Cari has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Cari in 2026?
In 2026, Cari ranks #5,562 among girls' names in the U.S., with 22 babies given the name that year.
When was Cari most popular?
Cari reached its peak popularity in 1976, ranking #379 that year with 541 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Cari most popular?
Cari has historically been most popular in Nevada, Montana, Utah. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Cari.
Is Cari a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Cari is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Cari?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cari include Elda, Pansy, Edwina. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Cari?
Common variants and related forms of Cari include Carla, Carlene, Carlyn, Carolina, Caroline, Carolyn. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧
Elda
Peak #379
👧
Pansy
Peak #379
👧
Edwina
Peak #379
👧
Valarie
Peak #379
👧
Terra
Peak #379
👧
Shayna
Peak #379
👧
Salem
Peak #379
👧
Mckinley
Peak #379

About the name Cari

Cari is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1941 and has accumulated 13K births in the dataset. Cari's peak popularity came in 1976 when it ranked #379. Use the chart and map above to compare Cari's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

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.