Carmela
Carmela is a name with multiple cultural origins: Italian, Spanish, Galician.
- Italian
- Spanish
- Galician
Meaning & Origin of Carmela
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Carmela is a name with multiple cultural origins: Italian, Spanish, Galician.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Italian
- Spanish
- Galician
The Story of Carmela
Carmela first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1882, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1923, when 586 Carmelas were born — ranking #266 that year. As of 2026, Carmela ranks #1,177 for baby girls with 203 births, rising sharply (+37% over the past five years). In total, more than 25K Carmelas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Carmela
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Carmela. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Carmela
Phonetically similar names — useful when Carmela 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 Carmela
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How popular is Carmela in 2026?
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Is Carmela a unisex name?
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About the name Carmela
Carmela is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 25K births in the dataset. Carmela's peak popularity came in 1923 when it ranked #266. Use the chart and map above to compare Carmela's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1923 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- 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.