Carmine
Deep crimson red color derived from an insect dye.
Name Census estimates that about 8,068 living Americans carry the first name Carmine. It is a predominantly male name (96.6% of registrations). The average person named Carmine today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carmine births was 2006 (267 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carmine. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Carmine is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 481 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
8.1K
~ 1 in 42,483 Americans
Peak year
2006
267 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,097
Tracked since 1891
Gender
Gender distribution for Carmine
Carmine leans heavily male at 96.6% of total registrations, but 481 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Carmine as a male name
- Ranked #1,097 in 2024
- 196 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2006 (262 births)
Carmine as a female name
- Ranked #13,762 in 2023
- 6 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1918 (13 births)
Popularity
Carmine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carmine from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 2,211 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Carmine remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carmine 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 Carmine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carmines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Carmine, while Virginia, Nevada, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 459 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Carmine
The name Carmine originates from the Italian language and culture, with its roots tracing back to the Late Latin word "carminus," meaning "deep red" or "crimson." This vibrant color is derived from the precious natural dye obtained from the carmine scale insect, which was valued and traded extensively in ancient times.
In its earliest forms, the name Carmine was likely used as a descriptive term or nickname for individuals with reddish hair or complexion. As a given name, it emerged during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions where Italian culture and language held influence.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Carmine can be found in the writings of the 13th-century Italian poet and philosopher, Dante Alighieri, who mentioned a character named Carmine in his celebrated work, "The Divine Comedy." This literary appearance lent the name a certain artistic and intellectual connotation.
Throughout the centuries, the name Carmine has been borne by notable figures across various fields. One such individual was Carmine Crocco (1830-1905), an Italian brigand and guerrilla leader who fought against the unification of Italy during the Risorgimento period.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Carmine Galante (1910-1979), a notorious American mobster and boss of the Bonanno crime family in New York City. His life and exploits have been the subject of numerous books and films, solidifying the name's association with a certain air of toughness and notoriety.
In the realm of arts and entertainment, Carmine Coppola (1910-1991), an American composer and father of acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, left an indelible mark on the world of music. His compositions for films and television shows showcased the melodic and artistic qualities of the name.
The name Carmine has also graced the world of sports, with Carmine Persico (1933-2019), an American professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators in the 1950s and 1960s, becoming a respected figure in the sporting community.
Lastly, Carmine Appice (born 1946) is a renowned American drummer and percussionist who has played with numerous iconic rock bands, including Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert & Appice. His virtuosity and contributions to the music industry have solidified the name's association with creativity and artistic expression.
People
Carmine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carmine 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
Carmine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carmine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,068 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carmine 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 42,483 US residents.
Is Carmine a common name?
We classify Carmine as "Rare". It ranks above 97.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14,216 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carmine most popular?
The single biggest year for Carmine was 2006, when 267 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carmine is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carmine a male name?
Yes, 96.6% of people registered as Carmine in the SSA data are male. 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.