Cara is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Cara means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Cara across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Cara has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Cara is a girl name of Italian, Latin origin meaning “dear, beloved”. From the Italian word cara, also linked to Irish for friend.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 53,367 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 6,337 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3,723 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 2,273 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 3,792 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Cara per year, United States (1882 to 2025). United States peaked in 1985 (1,472/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2001 (324/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2015 (185/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2001 (184/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2007 (131/yr).
Cara has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1985, when it ranked #362 nationally (given to 1,535 babies that year).
Gary · Carrie · Cory · Kiara · Cora · Kara · Kari · Kyra
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →