Given name & surname
Carmen
“a beautiful song”
Carmen is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “a beautiful song.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “a beautiful song.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In Spanish use, Carmen is used as a form of Carmel.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Carmen through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 159,756
- 16,961 boys · 142,795 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 2,622 babies
- 2025
- 902
- #389 for girls · #1,624 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 5% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 798 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 389 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 2,440 in 1960. It also appeared in 104 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (99). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 237,758 as a first name in 2020; 2,889 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.
Carmen’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Carmen has a diminutive in Carmela. Carmen shares a linguistic root with Carmel. Carmen has a related form in Carmelita.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Carmen has relatives in 14 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
21 related names in 14 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 29
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Carminevariant
- Carmeladiminutive · Tagalog, Spanish
- Karmenvariant · Slovene, Estonian
- Carmelitavariant
- Maricarmendiminutive · Spanish
- Carminadiminutive · Spanish
- Carmavariant
- Carminvariant
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Carmencitadiminutive · Spanish
- Carmanvariant · English
- Carmyavariant
- Carmitavariant
- Carmievariant
- Carmiavariant
- Carmmenlikely variant
- Carmennlikely variant
- Carrmenlikely variant
- Carmuchadiminutive · Spanish
- Menchiediminutive · Tagalog
- Menchudiminutive · Spanish
- Carmiñadiminutive · Spanish
- Carmenzadiminutive · Spanish
- Carmenchudiminutive · Spanish
- Carmenchodiminutive · Spanish
- Camuchadiminutive · Spanish
- Carmindavariant
- Carmeavariant
- Carmytavariant
- Carmynavariant
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Carmelcognate · English
- Carmenitaequivalent
- Karmenaequivalent
- Karmeleequivalent
- ΚάρμενGreek
- CarmeCatalan, Galician
- КарменRussian
- CarmoPortuguese
Show 1 moreShow fewer
People named Carmen
- Carmen ElectraAmerican actress, model, and singerborn 1972
- Carmen AmayaSpanish flamenco dancer and singer1918–1963
- Carmen KassEstonian model and actress (born 1978)
- Carmen PereiraGuinea-Bissauan politician (1937-2016)1936–2016
- Carmen EjogoBritish actressborn 1973
- Carmen McRaeAmerican jazz musician and actress (1922-1994)1920–1994
- Carmen Argenzianoactor from the United States (1943-2019)
- Carmen LaforetSpanish author (1921-2004)
- Carmen Martín GaiteSpanish writer (1925-2000)
Characters named Carmen: Carmen Mola (Spanish writers pseudonym).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Carmen, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Nathalie
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“follower of Christ”
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Jennifer
“one who is fair; a beautiful girl”
>99% girls