# Carly (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/carly/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑɹli/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Carls |
| Variant spellings | Carley, Carlie, Carlee, Carli, Karly, Karlie, Karli, Karley, Karlee, Carleigh, Karleigh, Carls |
| US babies named this | 66,626 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 160 / 66,466 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 2,523, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A feminine form of Carl with -y, taken to use in the latter half of the 20th century; also a pet form of Carla, Carlene and Carlotta.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,277 | 248 |
| 2012 | 1,110 | 285 |
| 2013 | 1,019 | 322 |
| 2014 | 916 | 357 |
| 2015 | 846 | 389 |
| 2016 | 807 | 413 |
| 2017 | 695 | 456 |
| 2018 | 655 | 478 |
| 2019 | 536 | 567 |
| 2020 | 471 | 621 |
| 2021 | 447 | 664 |
| 2022 | 366 | 778 |
| 2023 | 361 | 780 |
| 2024 | 308 | 875 |
| 2025 | 248 | 1,009 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 7 | 5,220 |
| 1986 | 14 | 3,287 |
| 1988 | 13 | 3,733 |
| 1989 | 11 | 4,558 |
| 1990 | 7 | 6,504 |
| 1991 | 8 | 6,025 |
| 1992 | 6 | 7,550 |
| 1993 | 7 | 6,917 |
| 1994 | 8 | 6,452 |
| 1996 | 5 | 9,206 |
| 1997 | 5 | 9,477 |
| 1998 | 6 | 8,628 |
| 2001 | 6 | 9,437 |
| 2004 | 9 | 7,617 |
| 2007 | 6 | 11,138 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 86 | 494 |
| 2012 | 64 | 647 |
| 2013 | 63 | 650 |
| 2014 | 53 | 740 |
| 2015 | 38 | 942 |
| 2016 | 30 | 1,142 |
| 2017 | 39 | 949 |
| 2018 | 27 | 1,234 |
| 2019 | 15 | 1,854 |
| 2020 | 14 | 1,939 |
| 2021 | 12 | 2,201 |
| 2022 | 9 | 2,673 |
| 2023 | 10 | 2,504 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3,015 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3,333 |

## People named Carly

- Carly Rae Jepsen, Canadian singer (born 1985)
- Carly Fiorina, American businesswoman and politician
- Carly Simon, American musician (born 1943)
- Carly Patterson, American artistic gymnast and rock singer (born 1988)
- Carly Chaikin, American actress
- Carly Gullickson, American female tennis player
- Carly Pope, Canadian actress
- Carly Schroeder, former American actress
- Carly Rose Sonenclar, American singer and actor
- Carly Telford, English association football player (born 1987)
- Carly Piper, American swimmer
- Carly Pearce, American country music singer-songwriter

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.