Carlita
A feminine diminutive of the name Carlos, derived from Charles, meaning "free man".
Name Census estimates that about 1,110 living Americans carry the first name Carlita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carlita today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carlita births was 1985 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carlita. 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 308,788 Americans
Peak year
1985
41 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,634
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Carlita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carlita from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 334 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
Carlita 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 Carlita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carlitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Michigan, California, District of Columbia recorded the most babies named Carlita, while Missouri, Illinois, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Carlita
Carlita is a Spanish feminine name derived from the Germanic name Carl, which means "man" or "free man." The name Carl originated from the Old Norse name Karlr, which was a compound of the elements "karl" (meaning "man") and "hrædil" (meaning "counsel" or "advice").
The name Carlita first appeared in Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions during the medieval period. It was a diminutive form of the name Carla, which was a feminine version of the name Carl. Carlita was commonly used as a pet name or nickname for girls named Carla.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carlita can be found in the 12th-century Spanish epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid." In this poem, a character named Carlita is mentioned as the daughter of a nobleman.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Carlita. One of the most famous was Carlita Cervera (1901-1985), a Spanish actress and dancer who gained prominence in the early 20th century. She was known for her performances in Spanish cinema and theater productions.
Another notable Carlita was Carlita Monterey (1933-2011), a Mexican-American actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. She was also a successful recording artist, known for her Spanish-language recordings.
In the literary world, Carlita Sands (1937-2022) was a renowned American poet and author. She published several collections of poetry and received numerous awards and honors for her work.
Carlita Rivero (1943-2001) was a Cuban-American artist and sculptor. She was known for her large-scale public art installations and her work in various media, including metal, wood, and stone.
Finally, Carlita Hunter (1958-2022) was an American actress and singer who performed on Broadway and in various television shows and movies. She was particularly known for her roles in the musicals "Dreamgirls" and "The Wiz."
People
Carlita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carlita 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
Carlita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carlita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,110 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carlita 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 308,788 US residents.
Is Carlita a common name?
We classify Carlita 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, 1,380 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carlita most popular?
The single biggest year for Carlita was 1985, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carlita is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carlita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carlita 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.