Given name & surname
Carla
“a free woman”·“a small, strong woman”·“a free man”
In Danish use, Carla has a related form in Karla. In German use, Karla carries the interpretation “a small, strong woman.” Carla is a feminine form of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Original LatinCarolus
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Latin use, Carla carries the interpretation “a free woman.” In Danish use, Carla has a related form in Karla. In German use, Karla carries the interpretation “a small, strong woman.” Carla is a feminine form of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
Carla is used as a feminine counterpart of Carl.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1890. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Carla through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 150,815
- 425 boys · 150,390 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 5,829 babies
- 2025
- 223
- #1,083 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 223 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,083 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 7.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 5,820 in 1962. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (42). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 144,782 as a first name in 2020; 115 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Carla’s family of names
In English usage, Carla has an affectionate form in Carly. In Portuguese usage, Carla shares an earlier linguistic root with Carol. In Danish usage, Carla has a related form in Karla.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Carla has relatives in 10 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Carla comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 26
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Carolusolder form · Latin
- Carolinedoublet · Portuguese
- Carlosmasculine form · Portuguese
- CarolinaSpanish
- Carlomasculine form
- Carlmasculine form
- Caroldoublet · Portuguese
- Carlotadoublet · Portuguese, Spanish
Show 4 moreShow fewer
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Carla
- Carla BruniItalian and French singer, model and spouse of former president of Franceborn 1967
- Carla GuginoAmerican actressborn 1971
- Carla Del PonteInternational juristborn 1947
- Carla Suárez NavarroSpanish tennis playerborn 1988
- Carla JuriSwiss actressborn 1985
- Carla BleyAmerican jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader (1936–2023)
- Carla FracciItalian ballet dancer and actress (1936–2021)
- Carla SimónSpanish-Catalan film director and screenwriter (born 1986)
- Carla GravinaItalian actress and politicianborn 1941
Characters named Carla: Carla Espinosa (the television series Scrubs).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Carla, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Delia
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>99% girls