Karly is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Karly means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Karly across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Karly has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Karly is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “free woman”. A feminine diminutive of Karl or Carl.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 10,871 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 201 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 216 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 4 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 16 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 Karly per year, United States (1972 to 2025). United States peaked in 1993 (427/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2007 (19/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2009 (17/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2010 (7/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2010 (4/yr).
Karly is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1993, when it ranked #1,043 nationally (given to 430 babies that year).
Carole · Carl · Carla · Carly · Karl · Karla · Carley · Carlie
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