Carlas
Feminine form of the Latin name Carolus, derived from vir meaning "man".
Name Census estimates that about 194 living Americans carry the first name Carlas. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 74.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Carlas today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carlas births was 1973 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carlas. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
194
~ 1 in 1,766,775 Americans
Peak year
1973
15 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1996 SSA rank
#8,096
Tracked since 1918
Census
Carlas in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 311 people with the first name Carlas, which placed it at #28,739 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,739
National first-name rank
People counted
311
311 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
60.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carlas
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Carlas is Black at 60.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.9%) and Hispanic (15.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Carlas described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Carlas at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.1% · 187
- White21.9% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino15.1% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 4
- Two or more races1.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Carlas
Carlas is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 233 total registrations, 174 (74.7%) were male and 59 (25.3%) were female.
Carlas as a male name
- Ranked #8,096 in 1996
- 6 male births in 1996
- Peak: 1972 (14 births)
Carlas as a female name
- Ranked #9,824 in 1977
- 5 female births in 1977
- Peak: 1962 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Carlas on both sides of the split. Of the 308 people counted with this name, 165 were male (53.6%) and 143 were female (46.4%).
Popularity
Carlas: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carlas from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 104 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carlas by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Carlas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Carlas
The name Carlas has its origins in the Latin language, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Latin word "carolus," which means "manly" or "masculine." In some cases, it is also believed to be a variant of the name Charles, which has similar roots.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carlas can be found in historical records from the 12th century. During this period, it was primarily used in regions that were heavily influenced by Latin culture, such as parts of Italy, France, and Spain. In these areas, the name was often given to boys as a way to express strength and masculinity.
While the name Carlas does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is worth noting that the name Charles, from which it is derived, has biblical connections. In the New Testament, the name Charles is associated with the apostle Bartholomew, whose name in Aramaic was "Bar Talmai," meaning "son of the furrows."
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Carlas. One of the earliest was Carlas de Blois (1120-1171), a French nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Second Crusade. Another notable figure was Carlas de Valera (1505-1567), a Spanish writer and historian who authored one of the first histories of Spain.
In the 18th century, Carlas Pignatelli (1734-1786), an Italian nobleman and diplomat, served as the ambassador of the Kingdom of Naples to various European courts. Carlas Soler (1775-1849), a Spanish composer and musician, is also remembered for his contributions to the development of classical music in Spain.
Carlas Broschi (1705-1782), better known by his stage name Farinelli, was an Italian operatic castrato who achieved great fame and success as a singer during the Baroque period. His extraordinary vocal range and virtuosity made him one of the most celebrated performers of his time.
It is important to note that while these individuals represent some of the more notable historical figures who bore the name Carlas, the name has been used across various cultures and time periods, and its meaning and significance may have varied accordingly.
People
Carlas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carlas as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Carlas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carlas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 194 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carlas going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,766,775 US residents.
Is Carlas a common name?
We classify Carlas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 233 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carlas most popular?
The single biggest year for Carlas was 1973, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carlas is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Carlas in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 311 people with the name Carlas, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,739 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Carlas in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Carlas?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Carlas on both sides of the split. Of the 308 people counted with this name, 165 were male (53.6%) and 143 were female (46.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Carlas?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Carlas is Black at 60.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.9%) and Hispanic (15.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Carlas most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Carlas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (187 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Carlas in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Carlas a male name?
Yes, 74.7% of people registered as Carlas in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Carlas still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Carlas in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Carlas can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Carlas?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.