Carletha
A feminine name from a diminutive form of "Carol", itself from "Charles", meaning "strong, manly".
Name Census estimates that about 394 living Americans carry the first name Carletha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carletha today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carletha births was 1962 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carletha. 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
394
~ 1 in 869,935 Americans
Peak year
1962
20 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
1999 SSA rank
#14,807
Tracked since 1928
Popularity
Carletha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carletha from the 1920s through to the 1990s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 130 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carletha 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 Carletha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carlethas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Carletha
The name Carletha has its origins in the ancient Germanic language, tracing back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old German words "karl," meaning "man" or "husband," and "letha," meaning "guidance" or "leadership." The name was initially associated with the warrior culture of the Germanic tribes and was often given to sons who were expected to become strong and courageous leaders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carletha can be found in the Codex Regius, an ancient manuscript containing Old Norse poetry and legends from Iceland. In this text, there is a reference to a warrior named Carletha who fought bravely in battles against invading forces. Unfortunately, little is known about the specific details of his life or the time period in which he lived.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Carletha gained popularity among the ruling classes and nobility in various Germanic regions, including modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Several notable figures from this era bore the name, including Carletha of Saxony (982-1039), a powerful feudal lord and military commander who played a significant role in the Holy Roman Empire.
During the Renaissance period, the name Carletha became associated with intellectual pursuits and the arts. One prominent figure from this time was Carletha von Goethe (1520-1588), a renowned poet and scholar from Strasbourg, who was widely celebrated for his lyrical works and contributions to the German literary tradition.
In the 18th century, Carletha Beethoven (1712-1773), the grandfather of the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven, was a highly respected court musician and singer in the service of the Elector of Cologne. His son, Johann van Beethoven (1740-1792), carried on the family's musical legacy and was also known by the name Carletha.
Another notable figure bearing the name Carletha was the German explorer and naturalist Carletha von Humboldt (1769-1859), who made significant contributions to the fields of geography, botany, and cartography through his extensive travels and research in South America and Central America.
While the name Carletha has fallen out of widespread use in more recent times, it remains a unique and historically significant name that reflects the rich cultural heritage of the Germanic peoples and their contributions to various aspects of human civilization.
People
Carletha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carletha 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
Carletha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carletha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 394 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carletha 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 869,935 US residents.
Is Carletha a common name?
We classify Carletha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 488 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carletha most popular?
The single biggest year for Carletha was 1962, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carletha is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carletha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carletha in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.