Cari is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Cari means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Cari across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Cari has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Cari is a girl name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “beloved, or pure”. A variant of Carrie or Cara.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 12,870 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 506 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 14 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 Cari per year, United States (1941 to 2025). United States peaked in 1976 (541/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2007 (33/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2005 (5/yr).
Cari has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1976, when it ranked #701 nationally (given to 541 babies that year).
Gary · Carrie · Cory · Cora · Kara · Kari · Keri · Cara
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