Given name & surname · also Germanic
Karley
“a small, strong woman”
Karley is a variant of Karla. In German use, Karla carries the interpretation “a small, strong woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Karley is a variant of Karla. In German use, Karla carries the interpretation “a small, strong woman.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Karley comes from Germanic, and ultimately from Germanic languages.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1972. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Karley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,955
- 0 boys · 7,955 girls
- Most popular year
- 2005
- 317 babies
- 2025
- 46
- #3,362 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −49%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 46 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,362 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 48.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 317 in 2005. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,669 as a first name in 2020; 150 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.
Karley’s family of names
Karley has a related form in Karla. In English usage, Karley has a related form in Carly.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Karley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Karlie
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Karleigh
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Karly
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Yoselin
“a Geat, a Goth”
>99% girls
Joselin
“a Geat, a Goth”
>99% girls
Tehani
“the”
>99% girls
Aliina
Aliina is a feminine given name from Germanic. It is used in Finnish.
>99% girls
Yoselyn
“a Geat, a Goth”
>99% girls