Darla
Darla was the 941st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 275 babies. Its best year was 1963, when it ranked 165th with 2,391 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 738 places. More babies were named Darla in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Darlene; "darling" · American English
Say it DAR-luh /ˈdɑrlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #941 girls, up 473 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 275girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19632,391 babies
- Total since 1880
- 43,694babies recorded
What does the name Darla mean?
Darla is an American back-formation from Darlene, itself a 20th-century coinage from darling combined with the ending of names like Charlene and Marlene. So its meaning is understood as "darling", though it was made up rather than taken from an older name. Darla was most popular in the US in the early 1960s.
darling (English, “dear, beloved”)
How sure is this? Probable. Darlene and Darla are modern coinages; the link to darling is the generally stated basis.
Related names: Darlene, Darleen, Darlena.
See also: American names, names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Darla', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Darlene', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Darla', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Darla popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 27 since 1959.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #941 | 275 |
| 2020 | #1,414 | 155 |
| 2010 | #1,569 | 140 |
| 2000 | #1,794 | 97 |
| 1990 | #1,335 | 120 |
| 1980 | #587 | 315 |
| 1970 | #299 | 965 |
| 1960 | #202 | 1,723 |
| 1950 | #323 | 567 |
| 1940 | #339 | 356 |
| 1930 | #1,673 | 23 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Darla, counting every spelling?
Darla is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #898 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #941 for Darla on its own. Together these spellings went to 281 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darla | 275 | #941 | 1,112 |
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 Darla?
275 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Darla (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Darla 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 30 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Darla.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Darla?
About 36,500 people born in the US named Darla are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 53 and 67. That makes Darla a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Darla by state
How common Darla was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.4×), California (2.1×). In 26 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 Darla: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Darla, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Darla · Sibling names for Darla
Questions about the name Darla
What does Darla mean?
Darla means “from Darlene; "darling"” (American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Darla?
Darla was the 941st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 275 babies. Its best year was 1963, when it ranked 165th with 2,391 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 738 places. More babies were named Darla in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Darla a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Darla in the US.
Where is Darla most popular?
In 2021–2025, Darla was most common in Arizona (0.34 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and New York.