Carla

Did you know?

A few things about Carla you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Carla

Carla Gugino

American actress

Choose Carla and your child shares a first name with Carla Gugino, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Carla, like who?” Carla Gugino's Wikipedia article is available in 60 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Carla Gugino on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 7,210 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Carla, 223 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Carla would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCarla first shows up in US birth records in 1890, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 135 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1965, when it ranked #76. Today it's #1,082, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowCarla was 2.8× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,569 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 7,210.
• 🍂TrendCarla has slipped 59 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,082. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedCarla is most popular in Nevada, where it ranks #508, followed by Massachusetts (#564) and Colorado (#584). It's in the top 1,000 in 10 states.
• 💬MeaningCarla is an Italian form of Charles, which means “free one”. Our records link it to English, Italian and Latin roots.

About the name Carla

Carla is a girl name of English, Italian and Latin origin meaning “free one”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-rla”. US birth records list Carla for girls from 1890 to 2025, in 126 of those 136 years. Its best year was 1965, when it ranked #76 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,082, with 223 babies.

Origin:English namesItalian namesLatin namesScandinavian names