Karla

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Karla

Karla Souza

Mexican actress (born 1985)

Choose Karla and your child shares a first name with Karla Souza, a Mexican actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Karla, like who?” Karla Souza's Wikipedia article is available in 30 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Karla Souza on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Tony Dandrades, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,728 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Karla, 340 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Karla would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryKarla first shows up in US birth records in 1915, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 110 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 2002, when it ranked #175. Today it's #799, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowKarla was 4.1× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,144 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 4,728.
• 🍂TrendKarla has slipped 123 places over the last five years and now sits at #799. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedKarla is most popular in Arizona, where it ranks #477, followed by Colorado (#497) and Florida (#555). It's in the top 1,000 in 16 states.
• 💬MeaningKarla is a German form of Carla, which means “free”.

About the name Karla

Karla is a girl name meaning “free”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with K and ending in “-rla”. US birth records list Karla for girls from 1915 to 2025, in 108 of those 111 years. Its best year was 2002, when it ranked #175 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #799, with 340 babies.