Carlee
Carlee was the 1911th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 101 babies. Its best year was 1997, when it ranked 600th; the most babies were born in 2009 (464). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,151 places. More babies were named Carlee in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Carly) feminine of Carl (free man) · Germanic, English
- Rank in 2025
- #1,911 girls, down 590 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 101girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2009464 babies
- Total since 1880
- 13,290babies recorded
What does the name Carlee mean?
Carlee is a spelling of Carly, pronounced the same way, so it shares Carly's meaning and origin.
Carly is a feminine form of Carl with -y, taken into use in the second half of the 20th century, according to Wiktionary, and also a pet form of Carla, Carlene and Carlotta. Carl and Charles go back to a Germanic word for man or free man, as DMNES explains for Charles. Carly has been used in the US since 1951 and was most common in the mid-1990s.
karl (Old High German, “man, free man”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Carla, Carlie, Karly, Charlotte, Carl.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Carly' (English 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. 'Charles', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Carla', 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)
Carlee popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 308 since 1912.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,911 | 101 |
| 2020 | #1,321 | 167 |
| 2010 | #759 | 360 |
| 2000 | #628 | 401 |
| 1990 | #1,189 | 144 |
| 1980 | #2,158 | 47 |
| 1970 | #5,876 | 8 |
| 1960 | #4,485 | 9 |
| 1950 | #3,078 | 12 |
| 1940 | #3,550 | 7 |
| 1930 | #3,095 | 9 |
| 1920 | #2,924 | 11 |
| 1910 | #1,968 | 7 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Carlee, counting every spelling?
Carlee is a spelling of Carly, a name family that ranked #374 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,911 for Carlee on its own. Together these spellings went to 886 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carly | 248 | #1,009 | 1,730 |
| Karlee | 103 | #1,898 | 801 |
| Carlee | 101 | #1,911 | 654 |
| Karlie | 85 | #2,179 | 624 |
| Carley | 63 | #2,725 | 387 |
| Carlie | 65 | #2,657 | 384 |
| Karli | 64 | #2,708 | 370 |
| Karly | 66 | #2,631 | 352 |
| Karley | 46 | #3,362 | 346 |
| Carli | 45 | #3,408 | 294 |
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 Carlee?
101 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Carlee (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Carlee 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 83 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Carlee.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Carlee?
About 12,400 people born in the US named Carlee are alive today, with a median age of 22; half are between 14 and 30. That makes Carlee 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.
Carlee by state
How common Carlee was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (3.8×), Missouri (2.8×), Tennessee (2.7×), Michigan (1.8×), Ohio (1.6×). In 32 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 Carlee: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Carlee, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Carlee
What does Carlee mean?
Carlee is a spelling of Carly, which means “feminine of Carl (free man)” (Germanic, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Carlee?
Carlee was the 1911th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 101 babies. Its best year was 1997, when it ranked 600th; the most babies were born in 2009 (464). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,151 places. More babies were named Carlee in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Carlee a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Carlee in the US.
Where is Carlee most popular?
In 2021–2025, Carlee was most common in Louisiana (0.31 per 1,000 girls), followed by Missouri and Tennessee.