Carla
Carla is the feminized version of Carl, Carlos or Charles, from ceorl in Old English, which means "free man".
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Spanish
- Catalan
Meaning & Origin of Carla
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Carla is the feminized version of Carl, Carlos or Charles, from ceorl in Old English, which means "free man".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Spanish
- Catalan
- English
- German
- Dutch
The Story of Carla
Carla first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1890, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1962: 5,821 births, good for #78 nationwide. About 32% of every Carla on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Carla ranks #962 for baby girls with 269 births, gradually rising (+8%). All told, over 151K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Carla
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Carla. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Carla
Phonetically similar names — useful when Carla 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 Carla
What does the name Carla mean?
What is the origin of the name Carla?
How popular is Carla in 2026?
When was Carla most popular?
In which U.S. states is Carla most popular?
Is Carla a unisex name?
What names go well with Carla?
What are nicknames or variants of Carla?
About the name Carla
Carla is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1890 and has accumulated 151K births in the dataset. Carla's peak popularity came in 1962 when it ranked #76. Use the chart and map above to compare Carla's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1962 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.