girls' name ★ peaked 1923

Carmela

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,219 Trend ↑ Rising 40%
Rank 2025
#1,219
among girls · ↓62 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
186
named Carmela · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,641
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1923
586 babies
All-time total
24,511
#931 all-time among girls
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Carmela popularity over time

24,511 babies have been named Carmela since 1882, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 37 – 37 4 – #615
1890s 280 – 280 28 +657% #418
1900s 815 – 815 82 +191% #324
1910s 3,461 – 3,461 346 +325% #277
1920s 5,430 – 5,430 543 +57% #266
1930s 2,885 – 2,885 289 -47% #311
1940s 1,731 – 1,731 173 -40% #490
1950s 1,720 – 1,720 172 -1% #627
1960s 2,091 – 2,091 209 +22% #635
1970s 1,400 – 1,400 140 -33% #795
1980s 895 5 900 90 -36% #1,069
1990s 674 – 674 67 -25% #1,782
2000s 1,005 – 1,005 101 +49% #1,625
2010s 1,131 – 1,131 113 +13% #1,477
2020s (to 2025) 951 – 951 159 +40% #1,157

Where Carmela is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 197 0.12 outside top 500
2027 208 0.13 outside top 500
2028 217 0.13 outside top 500
2029 225 0.14 outside top 500
2030 232 0.14 outside top 500

Where Carmela is most popular

Girls named Carmela per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.100 per 1,000. Strongest in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Carmela born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Connecticut 28 0.481 +380%
New Jersey 71 0.393 +293%
New York 118 0.298 +197%
Pennsylvania 65 0.275 +174%
Massachusetts 30 0.248 +148%
Ohio 44 0.185 +85%
Illinois 35 0.153 +53%
California 90 0.107 +7%
Maryland 11 0.104 ≈ national
Florida 39 0.091 -9%
Texas 51 0.063 -37%
Colorado 5 0.045 -55%
Arizona 6 0.043 -57%
Virginia 6 0.035 -65%
Washington 5 0.035 -65%
Michigan 5 0.027 -73%
Georgia 5 0.022 -78%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Carmela

Carmela is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,219 in 2025 with 186 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 24,511 American babies have been named Carmela. Its peak came in 1923, when 586 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Carmela stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Carmela?

The median living Carmela is about 54 years old; half are between 22 and 69. An estimated 11 thousand people named Carmela are alive in the United States today.

median 54 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Carmela year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 186 #1,219 – –
2024 208 #1,157 – –
2023 153 #1,456 – –
2022 131 #1,614 – –
2021 135 #1,555 – –
2020 138 #1,537 – –
2019 149 #1,477 – –
2018 115 #1,777 – –
2017 114 #1,816 – –
2016 117 #1,779 – –
2015 113 #1,832 – –
2014 124 #1,694 – –
2013 117 #1,755 – –
2012 87 #2,164 – –
2011 101 #1,955 – –
2010 94 #2,097 – –
2009 115 #1,850 – –
2008 113 #1,882 – –
2007 119 #1,793 – –
2006 124 #1,695 – –
2005 124 #1,625 – –
2004 110 #1,749 – –
2003 98 #1,876 – –
2002 78 #2,147 – –
2001 68 #2,337 – –
2000 56 #2,636 – –
1995 69 #1,986 – –
1990 81 #1,782 – –
1985 94 #1,373 – –
1980 132 #1,069 – –
1975 162 #831 – –
1970 176 #795 – –
1965 192 #715 – –
1960 213 #697 – –
1955 148 #788 – –
1950 183 #627 – –
1945 156 #585 – –
1940 196 #490 – –
1935 252 #406 – –
1930 457 #311 – –
1925 565 #280 – –
1920 513 #290 – –
1915 430 #281 – –
1910 140 #330 – –
1905 88 #357 – –
1900 57 #441 – –
1895 37 #481 – –
1890 9 #951 – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Carmela, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Carmela?

The median living Carmela is about 54 years old. Half of all living Carmelas are between 22 and 69 years old.

How many people named Carmela are alive today?

An estimated 11 thousand people named Carmela are alive in the United States, based on 24,511 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Carmela in 2025?

Carmela ranked #1,219 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 186 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Carmela?

24,511 babies have been named Carmela in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Carmela most popular?

Carmela peaked in 1923, when 586 newborns received the name.

Is Carmela a boy or girl name?

Carmela is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Carmela rising or falling?

Carmela is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Carmela become more popular?

Carmela is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 232 girls named Carmela in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Carmela

Names that sound and feel close to Carmela: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Carmela with similar names → More names starting with C →