Given name & surname
Karma
“one's actions determine one's destiny”
Karma is used as a given name and a surname. One Indian interpretation is “one's actions determine one's destiny.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Indian interpretation is “one's actions determine one's destiny.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Indian.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Karma through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,863
- 270 boys · 7,593 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 386 babies
- 2025
- 135
- #1,706 for girls · #5,999 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 120 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,706 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 17.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 375 in 2009. It also appeared in 15 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, New York and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (11 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,155 as a first name in 2020; 173 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.
Karma’s family of names
Karma has a related form in Karmah. In Kurtöp usage, Karma is a Roman-alphabet rendering of ཀར་མ. In Greek usage, Karma as a surname is a transliteration of Κάρμα.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Karma, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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