Carley
One of several spellings of Carly, a feminine diminutive formed from Carl and Charles, whose Germanic root means free man.
Carley in 2025
Carley was given to 63 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 4,800th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 52,624 babies born.
The history of Carley
Carley reached its highest point in 1998, when 718 babies were given the name, ranking 743rd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 720th, in 1996.
Across the 114 years of records since 1912, 17,328 babies have been named Carley. Half of them were born before 1999, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Carley by decade
| Decade | Babies named Carley | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 50 | 4,401 |
| 1920s | 212 | 2,484 |
| 1930s | 185 | 2,654 |
| 1940s | 156 | 2,678 |
| 1950s | 126 | 4,007 |
| 1960s | 38 | 7,329 |
| 1970s | 454 | 2,370 |
| 1980s | 1,795 | 1,286 |
| 1990s | 5,934 | 720 |
| 2000s | 5,593 | 786 |
| 2010s | 2,290 | 1,422 |
| 2020s | 495 | 3,074 |
Where Carley is heading
Carley has fallen 73% over the past decade, from 234 babies in 2015 to 63 in 2025.
Names like Carley
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Carley.