Carlina
A feminine name derived from the French word "carline" meaning a type of thistle.
Name Census estimates that about 1,113 living Americans carry the first name Carlina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carlina today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carlina births was 2012 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carlina. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 307,955 Americans
Peak year
2012
32 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,762
Tracked since 1942
Popularity
Carlina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carlina from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 248 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carlina 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 Carlina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carlinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Carlina, while Massachusetts, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Carlina
The name Carlina has its origins in the Latin language, stemming from the word "Carolus," meaning "free man." This ancient name gained prominence during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions influenced by Roman culture and the spread of Christianity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carlina can be found in the Venerable Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," written in the 8th century. Bede mentions a nun named Carlina who lived in the monastery of Ely, known for her piety and devotion to the religious life.
Throughout the subsequent centuries, the name Carlina appeared in various historical records, often associated with noble families or individuals of significant social standing. In the 12th century, a noblewoman named Carlina de Montfort was married to Simon de Montfort, a prominent figure during the Crusades and the English baronial wars.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained further popularity, particularly in Italy. Carlina Rinuccini, born in Florence in 1475, was a renowned poet and member of the influential Rinuccini family. Her works, which celebrated love and the beauty of nature, were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
In the 17th century, Carlina de la Cueva y Silva, a Spanish aristocrat born in 1620, played a significant role in the cultural and political circles of her time. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her involvement in the court of King Philip IV of Spain.
Another notable figure bearing the name Carlina was Carlina Neri, an Italian painter born in 1687. She was one of the few female artists of her era to achieve recognition, and her works, often depicting religious and mythological themes, can be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.
While the name Carlina has waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries, it has maintained a connection to its Latin roots and has been carried by individuals from diverse cultural and historical backgrounds, each leaving their unique mark on the world.
People
Carlina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carlina 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
Carlina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carlina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carlina 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 307,955 US residents.
Is Carlina a common name?
We classify Carlina as "Rare". It ranks above 90.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,178 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carlina most popular?
The single biggest year for Carlina was 2012, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carlina is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carlina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carlina 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.