Carley
Carley was the 2725th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 63 babies. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked 376th; the most babies were born in 1998 (713). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,619 places. More babies were named Carley in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Carly) feminine of Carl (free man) · Germanic, English
- Rank in 2025
- #2,725 girls, down 903 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 63girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1998713 babies
- Total since 1880
- 17,328babies recorded
What does the name Carley mean?
Carley 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)
Carley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 410 since 1912.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,725 | 63 |
| 2020 | #1,822 | 108 |
| 2010 | #760 | 360 |
| 2000 | #411 | 687 |
| 1990 | #761 | 271 |
| 1980 | #1,448 | 84 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | #3,452 | 10 |
| 1940 | #2,442 | 12 |
| 1930 | #2,322 | 14 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Carley, counting every spelling?
Carley is a spelling of Carly, a name family that ranked #374 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,725 for Carley 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 Carley?
63 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Carley (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Carley 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 133 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Carley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Carley?
About 16,400 people born in the US named Carley are alive today, with a median age of 26; half are between 19 and 33. That makes Carley 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.
Carley by state
How common Carley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 40 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 Carley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Carley, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Carley
What does Carley mean?
Carley is a spelling of Carly, which means “feminine of Carl (free man)” (Germanic, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Carley?
Carley was the 2725th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 63 babies. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked 376th; the most babies were born in 1998 (713). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,619 places. More babies were named Carley in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Carley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Carley in the US.
Where is Carley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Carley was most common in Mississippi (0.11 per 1,000 girls), followed by Missouri and Louisiana.