Given name & surname · also Germanic
Karly
“a small, strong woman”
Karly is a variant of Karla. In German use, Karla carries the interpretation “a small, strong woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Karly 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
Karly 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
Karly through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,871
- 5 boys · 10,866 girls
- Most popular year
- 1993
- 427 babies
- 2025
- 66
- #2,631 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −45%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 66 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,631 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 44.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 427 in 1993. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,043 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Karly’s family of names
Karly has a related form in Karla. In English usage, Karly has a related form in Carly. In German usage, Karly as a surname has a related form in Karl.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Karly
- Kali UchisAmerican singer-songwriter (born 1994)
- Karly RoestbakkenAustralian soccer player (born 2001)
- Karly RothenbergAmerican actressborn 1962
- Karly Gaitán MoralesNicaraguan film historian, author, writerborn 1980
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Karly, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Karley
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Haili
“from the field of hay”
>99% girls
Karleigh
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Vendela
Vendela is a feminine given name from German, ultimately from Germanic. It is used in Swedish.
>99% girls
Alyshia
Alyshia is a feminine given name from Germanic.
>99% girls
Deiana
“fairy”
>99% girls
Erykah
Erykah is a feminine given name from Germanic.
>99% girls
Ivona
“a young archer”
>99% girls