Carmen
Carmen was the 389th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 798 babies. Its best year was 1968, when it ranked 141st; the most babies were born in 1960 (2,440). Over the last ten years it has moved down 7 places. More babies were named Carmen in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Mount Carmel (garden); also linked to Latin 'song' · Hebrew, Spanish, Latin
Say it KAR-mun /ˈkɑrmən/
- Rank in 2025
- #389 girls, up 44 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 798girls
- Girls and boys
- 93% girls, 7% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19602,440 babies
- Total since 1880
- 159,756babies recorded
What does the name Carmen mean?
Carmen is a Spanish name from the Marian title Virgen del Carmen, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Wiktionary derives Carmel from Hebrew karmel, "garden, orchard" or "vineyard of God". The Random House dictionary instead gives Latin carmen, "song", which matches in spelling and has influenced how the name is understood. Bizet's opera Carmen (1875) made it famous outside Spain.
כַּרְמֶל (Biblical Hebrew, “Carmel; garden, orchard”)carmen (Latin, “song (proposed)”)
How sure is this? Disputed. Wiktionary derives it from Carmel; the Random House dictionary gives Latin 'song'.
Related names: Carmel, Carmela, Carmine.
See also: Spanish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Carmen', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Carmel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Carmen', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Carmen popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #389 | #1,624 | 798 | 104 |
| 2020 | #433 | #4,728 | 708 | 20 |
| 2010 | #314 | #3,081 | 1,017 | 37 |
| 2000 | #270 | #1,714 | 1,195 | 66 |
| 1990 | #218 | #1,118 | 1,314 | 92 |
| 1980 | #183 | #895 | 1,461 | 100 |
| 1970 | #152 | #728 | 2,202 | 127 |
| 1960 | #167 | #587 | 2,440 | 176 |
| 1950 | #186 | #474 | 1,460 | 199 |
| 1940 | #211 | #386 | 823 | 219 |
| 1930 | #184 | #336 | 1,044 | 274 |
| 1920 | #237 | #342 | 757 | 292 |
| 1910 | #289 | #421 | 181 | 41 |
| 1900 | #352 | #849 | 91 | 10 |
| 1890 | #492 | — | 28 | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Carmen, counting every spelling?
Carmen is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #323 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #389 for Carmen on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,016 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmen | 798 | #389 | 3,673 |
| Karmen | 105 | #1,875 | 548 |
| Karmyn | 51 | #3,149 | 373 |
| Carmyn | 40 | #3,730 | 190 |
| Karmin | 11 | #9,154 | 63 |
| Carmin | 6 | #13,529 | 40 |
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 Carmen?
798 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Carmen (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Carmen 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Carmen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Carmen?
About 108,000 people born in the US named Carmen are alive today, with a median age of 50; half are between 28 and 65. That makes Carmen mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Carmen by state
How common Carmen was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (2.5×), Louisiana (2.1×), Maryland (1.8×), Tennessee (1.6×), North Carolina (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Idaho, New Jersey, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Carmen: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Carmen, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Carmen · Sibling names for Carmen
Questions about the name Carmen
What does Carmen mean?
Carmen is usually explained as “from Mount Carmel (garden); also linked to Latin 'song'”, but this is disputed. Certainty: disputed.
How popular is the name Carmen?
Carmen was the 389th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 798 babies. Its best year was 1968, when it ranked 141st; the most babies were born in 1960 (2,440). Over the last ten years it has moved down 7 places. More babies were named Carmen in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Carmen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 93% girls, 7% boys given the name Carmen in the US.
Where is Carmen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Carmen was most common in Mississippi (1.13 per 1,000 girls), followed by Louisiana and Maryland.