Carina
Carina was the 1572nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 134 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 383rd with 689 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 507 places. More babies were named Carina in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Karina) Scandinavian Katherine; or Latin Carina · Old Norse, Greek, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #1,572 girls, down 229 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 134girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1995689 babies
- Total since 1880
- 16,529babies recorded
What does the name Carina mean?
Carina is a spelling of Karina, pronounced the same way, so it shares Karina's meaning and origin.
Karina has two sources, according to Wiktionary. In Scandinavia it is an old form of Katherine: Norwegian Karina comes from Old Norse Kaðrina, a later form of Katrina, after sound changes dropped the t. Wiktionary also connects some uses with Carina, a name from Latin carina, the keel of a ship and a southern constellation. Katherine's own origin is uncertain, according to DMNES. Karina has been used in the US since the 1950s.
Kaðrina (Old Norse, “Katrina (Katherine)”)carīna (Latin, “keel”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Two sources (Katherine via Old Norse; Latin Carina); Katherine's own origin is uncertain.
Related names: Karin, Katrina, Carina, Katherine.
See also: Scandinavian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Karina' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Karina' (Norwegian Bokmål section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Carina popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 35 since 1983.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,572 | 134 |
| 2020 | #1,343 | 164 |
| 2010 | #948 | 271 |
| 2000 | #567 | 460 |
| 1990 | #544 | 436 |
| 1980 | #759 | 218 |
| 1970 | #1,370 | 76 |
| 1960 | #2,997 | 17 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Carina, counting every spelling?
Carina is a spelling of Karina, a name family that ranked #591 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,572 for Carina on its own. Together these spellings went to 503 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karina | 363 | #750 | 1,951 |
| Carina | 134 | #1,572 | 772 |
| Karyna | 6 | #14,043 | 27 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Carina?
134 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Carina (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Carina born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 63 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Carina.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Carina?
About 16,100 people born in the US named Carina are alive today, with a median age of 29; half are between 19 and 37. That makes Carina mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Carina by state
How common Carina was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (2.2×), Washington (1.7×), California (1.6×), New York (1.6×). In 33 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Carina: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Carina, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Carina
What does Carina mean?
Carina is a spelling of Karina, usually explained as “Scandinavian Katherine; or Latin Carina”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Carina?
Carina was the 1572nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 134 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 383rd with 689 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 507 places. More babies were named Carina in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Carina a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Carina in the US.
Where is Carina most popular?
In 2021–2025, Carina was most common in New Jersey (0.21 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and California.