Karmen
Karmen was the 1875th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 105 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 1063rd with 246 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 580 places. More babies were named Karmen in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Carmen) from Mount Carmel (garden); also linked to Latin 'song' · Hebrew, Spanish, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #1,875 girls, down 562 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 105girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2008246 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,287babies recorded
What does the name Karmen mean?
Karmen is a spelling of Carmen, pronounced the same way, so it shares Carmen's meaning and origin.
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
Karmen popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 15 since 1995.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,875 | 105 |
| 2020 | #1,313 | 168 |
| 2010 | #1,304 | 181 |
| 2000 | #2,135 | 76 |
| 1990 | #1,649 | 90 |
| 1980 | #1,412 | 88 |
| 1970 | #1,323 | 80 |
| 1960 | #1,756 | 42 |
| 1950 | #2,971 | 13 |
| 1940 | #3,088 | 9 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Karmen, counting every spelling?
Karmen is a spelling of Carmen, a name family that ranked #323 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,875 for Karmen 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 Karmen?
105 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Karmen (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Karmen 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 80 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Karmen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Karmen?
About 7,000 people born in the US named Karmen are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 12 and 42. That makes Karmen 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.
Karmen by state
How common Karmen was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Carolina (3.1×), Georgia (2.8×), Tennessee (2.1×). In 36 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 Karmen: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Karmen, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Karmen
What does Karmen mean?
Karmen is a spelling of Carmen, usually explained as “from Mount Carmel (garden); also linked to Latin 'song'”, but this is disputed. Certainty: disputed.
How popular is the name Karmen?
Karmen was the 1875th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 105 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 1063rd with 246 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 580 places. More babies were named Karmen in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Karmen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Karmen in the US.
Where is Karmen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Karmen was most common in Arkansas (0.30 per 1,000 girls), followed by Mississippi and North Carolina.