Girl nameCurrently #873 in the USFalling
Carly
KAR-lee//ˈkɑːrli//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19955 lettersStarts with C
Meaning & origin
Free man (feminine dim. of Charles/Carl)
Carly developed as a diminutive related to Caroline or Carl, sharing the Germanic root meaning 'free man'. Popular from the 1970s onward, it is closely associated with singer-songwriter Carly Simon.
Carly's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Carly |
|---|---|
| 1951 | 6 |
| 1952 | 7 |
| 1953 | 5 |
| 1958 | 6 |
| 1969 | 7 |
| 1971 | 6 |
| 1972 | 74 |
| 1973 | 246 |
| 1974 | 370 |
| 1975 | 318 |
| 1976 | 345 |
| 1977 | 401 |
| 1978 | 550 |
| 1979 | 684 |
| 1980 | 752 |
| 1981 | 937 |
| 1982 | 1,260 |
| 1983 | 1,160 |
| 1984 | 1,329 |
| 1985 | 1,318 |
| 1986 | 1,203 |
| 1987 | 1,412 |
| 1988 | 1,613 |
| 1989 | 1,564 |
| 1990 | 1,784 |
| 1991 | 2,346 |
| 1992 | 2,473 |
| 1993 | 2,371 |
| 1994 | 2,331 |
| 1995 | 2,585 |
| 1996 | 2,515 |
| 1997 | 2,340 |
| 1998 | 2,270 |
| 1999 | 1,827 |
| 2000 | 1,961 |
| 2001 | 1,839 |
| 2002 | 1,590 |
| 2003 | 1,762 |
| 2004 | 1,935 |
| 2005 | 1,749 |
| 2006 | 1,351 |
| 2007 | 1,329 |
| 2008 | 1,685 |
| 2009 | 1,508 |
| 2010 | 1,439 |
| 2011 | 1,277 |
| 2012 | 1,110 |
| 2013 | 1,019 |
| 2014 | 916 |
| 2015 | 846 |
| 2016 | 807 |
| 2017 | 695 |
| 2018 | 654 |
| 2019 | 536 |
| 2020 | 471 |
| 2021 | 447 |
| 2022 | 365 |
| 2023 | 360 |
| 2024 | 308 |
Carly through the decades
- Carly peaked in 1995, when 2,585 babies were named Carly in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Carly has fallen 59% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Carly currently ranks #873 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Carly
Variants & spellings
CarlieKarly
Famous people named Carly
- Carly Simon — singer-songwriter