Carla

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Girl · Germanic

Carla

Say it: KAR-lah

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Feminine of Carl/Karl, from Germanic karl 'man, free man'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

A 20th-century feminine form used widely in Europe and the Americas.

Its wave through time

A fashion of the 1960s

In the United States

149,544 babies given this name since 1890
At its height in 1962, about 1 in 338 girls
244 babies in 2020

Through the ages

The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

German Italian Spanish English

The family of the name

Other spellings: Karla

German	Karla
Italian	Carla
Spanish	Carla

Famous bearers

Carla Bruni, singer

Names worth a look

HeidiGirlGerman pet form of Adelheid ('noble kind').Victorian · peak 1974

CoraGirlFrom Greek korē 'maiden', a title of Persephone.Victorian · peak 1885

LenaGirlShort form of Helena or Magdalena; Helena is from Greek, of uncertain meaning, and Magdalena means 'woman of Magdala'.Victorian · peak 1891

WilmaGirlShort form of Wilhelmina, from Germanic wil 'will' and helm 'helmet, protection'.Modern · peak 1930 · forgotten

AgnesGirlGreek hagnē, 'pure, holy'. It was later associated with Latin agnus 'lamb', which is why the saint is shown with a…Early Medieval · peak 1899

SabrinaGirlThe Latin name of the River Severn (Sabrina, earlier Sabrinna), a Celtic river name whose meaning is unknown; the…Victorian · peak 1997

CarolGirlAn English short form of Caroline (feminine of Carolus, Charles), later associated with the word carol 'joyful song'.Modern · peak 1945

CarolynGirlA variant of Caroline, the French feminine diminutive of Carolus (Charles), from Germanic karl 'free man'.Modern · peak 1942

Where this comes from

National birth statistics of European countries source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.