Carmelia
A feminine name derived from Latin meaning "song".
Name Census estimates that about 433 living Americans carry the first name Carmelia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carmelia today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carmelia births was 1960 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carmelia. 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
433
~ 1 in 791,580 Americans
Peak year
1960
24 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2020 SSA rank
#15,575
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Carmelia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carmelia from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 143 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
Carmelia 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 Carmelia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carmelias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Carmelia, while Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Carmelia
The name Carmelia is believed to have its origins in the Latin language, derived from the word "carmelia," which means "song" or "melody." The name itself is a feminine form of the male name Carmel, which has Hebrew roots and is associated with Mount Carmel, a mountain range in northern Israel.
Historically, the name Carmelia has been associated with various religious and cultural contexts. In Christianity, it has been linked to the Carmelite Order, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order that traces its origins back to the late 12th century on Mount Carmel. The name was likely adopted by members of this order as a nod to their spiritual roots.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Carmelia can be found in the 16th century, with a Spanish nun named Carmelia de la Encarnación (1568-1635), who was a member of the Carmelite Order and known for her mystical writings and spiritual teachings.
In the realm of literature, the name Carmelia has made several notable appearances. One such instance is in the 19th century novel "The Marble Faun" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, where a character named Carmelia is mentioned as a young Italian woman.
Among famous individuals who have borne the name Carmelia, we can highlight Carmelia A. Crancer (1898-1988), an American educator and civil rights activist who played a significant role in desegregating schools in Baltimore, Maryland. Another notable figure is Carmelia Leland (1866-1937), an American painter and illustrator known for her portraits and landscape paintings.
In the world of music, Carmelia Rey (1924-2021) was a Cuban-American singer and actress who rose to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s, performing in both Spanish and English. She was widely celebrated for her contributions to Latin music and her distinctive vocal style.
Additionally, Carmelia Prieto (1901-1991) was a Puerto Rican educator and feminist activist who campaigned tirelessly for women's rights and educational opportunities on the island. Her efforts helped pave the way for greater gender equality and access to education for women in Puerto Rico.
While the name Carmelia has maintained its presence throughout history, its usage has varied across different cultures and time periods. However, its melodic and musical origins have remained a consistent thread, reflecting the enduring appeal of this elegant and harmonious name.
People
Carmelia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carmelia 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
Carmelia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carmelia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 433 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carmelia 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 791,580 US residents.
Is Carmelia a common name?
We classify Carmelia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 715 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carmelia most popular?
The single biggest year for Carmelia was 1960, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carmelia is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carmelia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carmelia 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.