Carrie
Carrie was the 2726th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 63 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 20th; the most babies were born in 1977 (8,661). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,041 places. More babies were named Carrie in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kari) Norwegian pet form of Katrine (Katherine) · Norwegian, Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #2,726 girls, down 551 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 63girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19778,661 babies
- Total since 1880
- 267,540babies recorded
What does the name Carrie mean?
Carrie is a spelling of Kari, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kari's meaning and origin.
Kari is a Norwegian pet form of Katrine, the Scandinavian form of Katherine; Wiktionary also treats it in English as a match for Carrie or Cary. Katherine comes from Greek Aikaterinē, whose origin is unknown. DMNES notes that it is not related to Greek katharos, "pure", although that link influenced the spelling with -th-. Kari was most popular in the US in the 1970s. Separately, Kari is a Finnish surname meaning "rock, skerry".
Kari (Norwegian, “pet form of Katrine”)Αἰκατερίνη (Greek, “Aikaterinē, of unknown origin”)
How sure is this? Well established. Kari is clearly a form of Katherine; the origin of Katherine is unknown.
Other explanations you may read: Katherine means 'pure' (Greek katharos).
Related names: Katherine, Karin, Carrie, Kara.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kari', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Kari (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Carrie popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,190 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,726 | 63 |
| 2020 | #2,175 | 83 |
| 2010 | #1,300 | 181 |
| 2000 | #503 | 536 |
| 1990 | #170 | 1,708 |
| 1980 | #46 | 5,761 |
| 1970 | #73 | 4,978 |
| 1960 | #139 | 3,150 |
| 1950 | #241 | 975 |
| 1940 | #176 | 1,093 |
| 1930 | #145 | 1,465 |
| 1920 | #121 | 2,108 |
| 1910 | #70 | 1,381 |
| 1900 | #48 | 1,711 |
| 1890 | #29 | 1,510 |
| 1880 | #20 | 949 |
How popular is Carrie, counting every spelling?
Carrie is a spelling of Kari, a name family that ranked #1,050 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,726 for Carrie on its own. Together these spellings went to 217 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kari | 90 | #2,087 | 581 |
| Carrie | 63 | #2,726 | 330 |
| Cari | 10 | #9,580 | 132 |
| Kaari | 22 | #5,632 | 121 |
| Kerri | 10 | #9,787 | 60 |
| Karri | 8 | #11,405 | 46 |
| Karrie | 7 | #12,528 | 32 |
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 Carrie?
63 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Carrie (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Carrie 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 Carrie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Carrie?
About 162,300 people born in the US named Carrie are alive today, with a median age of 51; half are between 45 and 59. That makes Carrie mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Carrie by state
How common Carrie was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Ohio (2.6×). In 42 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 Carrie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Carrie, they share its era and feel.
Carrie is also a nickname for Caroline.
Questions about the name Carrie
What does Carrie mean?
Carrie is a spelling of Kari, which means “Norwegian pet form of Katrine (Katherine)” (Norwegian, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Carrie?
Carrie was the 2726th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 63 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 20th; the most babies were born in 1977 (8,661). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,041 places. More babies were named Carrie in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Carrie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Carrie in the US.
Where is Carrie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Carrie was most common in Ohio (0.10 per 1,000 girls), followed by Pennsylvania and North Carolina.