Girl · #8,367 in 2026

Carlene

Name: Popularity of the name Carlene in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Carlene, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Carlene is a girl's given name, a variant of Charlene, that reached a peak of popularity in America in the 1950s. US birth records show over 12,000 birth names as Carlene from 1916 to 1972 with a peak of 371 birth names in 1955.

English

Current Rank

#8,367

Peak Rank

#378 (1955)

Total Babies

15K

5-Yr Trend

-21%

1895

First Year

2026

Last Year

1955

Peak Year

#378

Peak Rank

15K

Total Count

123

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Carlene

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

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English

The Story of Carlene

Carlene first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1895, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1955, when 370 Carlenes were born — ranking #473 that year. As of 2026, Carlene ranks #8,367 for baby girls with 11 births, falling sharply (-21%). In total, more than 15K Carlenes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Carlene

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

Names that sound like Carlene

Phonetically similar names — useful when Carlene 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 Carlene

What does the name Carlene mean?

What is the origin of the name Carlene?

Carlene has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Carlene in 2026?

In 2026, Carlene ranks #8,367 among girls' names in the U.S., with 11 babies given the name that year.

When was Carlene most popular?

Carlene reached its peak popularity in 1955, ranking #378 that year with 370 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Carlene most popular?

Carlene has historically been most popular in Vermont, Maine, Montana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Carlene.

Is Carlene a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Carlene is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Carlene?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Carlene include Ray, Melva, Chrissy. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Carlene?

Common variants and related forms of Carlene include Carla, Carley, Carli, Carlie, Carly, Karlee. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Carlene

Carlene is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1895 and has accumulated 15K births in the dataset. Carlene's peak popularity came in 1955 when it ranked #378. Use the chart and map above to compare Carlene'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.