Carla is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Carla means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Carla across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Carla has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Carla is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “free woman”. a feminine form of Carl.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 150,815 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 3,215 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,540 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 294 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,274 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 323 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 Carla per year, United States (1890 to 2025). United States peaked in 1961 (5,829/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (230/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1999 (57/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2009 (54/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (31/yr).
Carla has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1961, when it ranked #148 nationally (given to 5,829 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1960s.
Carol · Carole · Carl · Carly · Karl · Karla · Carroll · Carrol
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