Carmelina
A feminine name of Italian origin meaning "innocence; inexperienced woman or girl".
Name Census estimates that about 840 living Americans carry the first name Carmelina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carmelina today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carmelina births was 1926 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carmelina. 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
840
~ 1 in 408,041 Americans
Peak year
1926
39 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,419
Tracked since 1910
Popularity
Carmelina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carmelina from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 287 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carmelina 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 Carmelina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carmelinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Carmelina, while New Jersey, California, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 55 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Carmelina
The given name Carmelina is derived from the Latin word "carmelo" which means "garden" or "orchard". It is believed to have originated in the region of Mount Carmel in modern-day Israel, where a religious order of monks known as the Carmelites was established in the 12th century.
The name Carmelina has its roots in the biblical tradition, as Mount Carmel is mentioned in the Old Testament as a place of spiritual significance. It is associated with the prophet Elijah, who is said to have defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Carmelina can be found in the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century Spanish mystic and Carmelite nun. She is known to have used the name Carmelina in reference to the Carmelite Order and its devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Carmelina. One of the most famous was Carmelina Nava (1876-1964), an Italian operatic soprano who performed at prestigious venues such as La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera.
Another notable Carmelina was Carmelina Lalli-Teodori (1870-1951), an Italian painter and sculptor who was part of the Macchiaioli movement and known for her depictions of female subjects.
In the realm of literature, Carmelina Sari (1888-1951) was an Italian writer and journalist who wrote several novels and short stories, including "La Sperduta di Palazzo Pitti" (The Lost Woman of Palazzo Pitti).
The name Carmelina also has a connection to religious figures, such as Carmelina Curcio (1808-1876), an Italian Catholic nun who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition.
Another notable Carmelina was Carmelina Aguilar (1900-1969), a Mexican actress and singer who appeared in numerous films during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.
While the name Carmelina has its roots in the Latin and biblical traditions, it has been widely used across various cultures and regions, particularly in Italy, Spain, and Latin American countries.
People
Carmelina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carmelina 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
Carmelina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carmelina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 840 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carmelina 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 408,041 US residents.
Is Carmelina a common name?
We classify Carmelina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,471 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carmelina most popular?
The single biggest year for Carmelina was 1926, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carmelina is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carmelina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carmelina 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.