girls' name ★ peaked 1963

Darla

Meaning A female given name from English Gender Girl Rank 2025 #941 Trend ↑ Rising 49%

A female given name from English.

Rank 2025
#941
among girls · ↑84 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
275
named Darla · +12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,845
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1963
2,391 babies
All-time total
43,694
#654 all-time among girls
First recorded
1924
in Social Security records

Darla popularity over time

43,694 babies have been named Darla since 1924, 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s 33 – 33 3 – #1,901
1930s 1,206 – 1,206 121 +3555% #368
1940s 4,229 – 4,229 423 +251% #303
1950s 9,599 6 9,605 961 +127% #203
1960s 16,340 16 16,356 1,636 +70% #165
1970s 5,382 5 5,387 539 -67% #299
1980s 1,996 – 1,996 200 -63% #587
1990s 968 – 968 97 -52% #1,335
2000s 1,059 – 1,059 106 +9% #1,704
2010s 1,588 – 1,588 159 +50% #1,272
2020s (to 2025) 1,267 – 1,267 211 +33% #941

Where Darla 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 293 0.18 outside top 500
2027 310 0.19 outside top 500
2028 324 0.20 outside top 500
2029 337 0.21 outside top 500
2030 349 0.22 outside top 500

Where Darla is most popular

Girls named Darla per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.137 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, California, 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 Darla 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
Arizona 47 0.335 +144%
California 241 0.287 +109%
New York 66 0.167 +22%
Texas 127 0.158 +15%
Utah 12 0.144 +5%
Indiana 20 0.142 ≈ national
Florida 58 0.136 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 32 0.135 ≈ national
Colorado 15 0.134 ≈ national
Michigan 23 0.126 -8%
Nevada 5 0.108 -21%
Tennessee 16 0.101 -26%
Virginia 17 0.100 -27%
Oklahoma 7 0.095 -31%
Illinois 21 0.092 -33%
Washington 13 0.090 -34%
Ohio 20 0.084 -38%
Georgia 19 0.084 -39%
New Jersey 14 0.078 -43%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -58%
Alabama 5 0.053 -61%
Missouri 6 0.050 -64%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -65%
Maryland 5 0.047 -66%
North Carolina 6 0.026 -81%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Darla

Darla is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #941 in 2025 with 275 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1924, 43,694 American babies have been named Darla. Its peak came in 1963, when 2,391 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Darla stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Darla?

The median living Darla is about 61 years old; half are between 52 and 67. An estimated 38 thousand people named Darla are alive in the United States today.

median 61 020406080100

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

Darla 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 275 #941 – –
2024 246 #1,025 – –
2023 199 #1,202 – –
2022 202 #1,191 – –
2021 190 #1,239 – –
2020 155 #1,414 – –
2019 165 #1,368 – –
2018 181 #1,272 – –
2017 161 #1,419 – –
2016 185 #1,294 – –
2015 127 #1,679 – –
2014 161 #1,416 – –
2013 151 #1,471 – –
2012 174 #1,347 – –
2011 143 #1,533 – –
2010 140 #1,569 – –
2009 126 #1,735 – –
2008 127 #1,747 – –
2007 106 #1,941 – –
2006 88 #2,193 – –
2005 104 #1,859 – –
2004 109 #1,760 – –
2003 105 #1,789 – –
2002 91 #1,939 – –
2001 106 #1,704 – –
2000 97 #1,794 – –
1995 120 #1,371 – –
1990 120 #1,335 – –
1985 176 #903 – –
1980 315 #587 – –
1975 409 #460 – –
1970 965 #299 5 #4,860
1965 1,581 #208 5 #4,020
1960 1,723 #202 6 #3,744
1955 877 #292 – –
1950 567 #323 – –
1945 303 #408 – –
1940 356 #339 – –
1935 98 #672 – –
1930 23 #1,673 – –
1925 7 #4,110 – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Darla?

The median living Darla is about 61 years old. Half of all living Darlas are between 52 and 67 years old.

How many people named Darla are alive today?

An estimated 38 thousand people named Darla are alive in the United States, based on 43,694 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Darla mean?

A female given name from English.

How popular is the name Darla in 2025?

Darla ranked #941 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 275 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Darla?

43,694 babies have been named Darla in the United States since 1924, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Darla most popular?

Darla peaked in 1963, when 2,391 newborns received the name.

Is Darla a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Darla rising or falling?

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

Will Darla become more popular?

Darla is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 349 girls named Darla in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Darla

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

Compare Darla with similar names → More names starting with D →