Cartha
A feminine name derived from the Old Irish word "cárthach" meaning loving or beloved.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Cartha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cartha today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cartha births was 1923 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cartha. 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
- • The typical person named Cartha is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Carthas were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cartha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1923
8 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1951 SSA rank
#5,509
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Cartha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cartha from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 19 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cartha 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 Cartha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cartha
The name Cartha has its roots in the ancient Etruscan language, which was spoken in what is now modern-day Tuscany, Italy. Its origins can be traced back to around the 7th century BCE. Cartha is believed to be derived from the Etruscan word "kartha," meaning "city" or "fortress."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cartha can be found in the Etruscan inscriptions discovered in the necropolis of Cerveteri, an ancient city located near Rome. These inscriptions date back to the 6th century BCE and mention individuals bearing the name Cartha, suggesting its use as a personal name among the Etruscan people.
In ancient Roman times, the name Cartha gained prominence due to the city of Carthage, which was founded by Phoenician settlers in the 9th century BCE. Carthage, located in modern-day Tunisia, was a major rival to the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. The name Cartha was likely influenced by the Carthaginian connection, although its exact adoption and usage among the Romans is not well documented.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Cartha. One of the earliest known was Cartha of Cyrene, a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 3rd century BCE. He is credited with developing the concept of the infinitesimal calculus, laying the foundations for modern calculus.
Another prominent figure was Cartha the Elder, a Roman statesman and military leader who lived in the 2nd century CE. He served as a consul and played a crucial role in the Roman campaigns against the Germanic tribes, earning him a reputation as a skilled strategist and diplomat.
In the medieval period, Cartha of Saxony, born in 1020 CE, was a renowned scholar and theologian. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including philosophy, astronomy, and theology, and his works were widely studied in monastic schools across Europe.
During the Renaissance, Cartha Veneziano, born in 1450 CE, was an Italian artist and architect known for his contributions to the development of the Renaissance style. He designed several notable buildings in Venice, including the Church of San Zaccaria and the Palazzo Grimani.
In more recent times, Cartha Lucille, born in 1892, was an American writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and racial equality. Her novels and essays shed light on the struggles and experiences of African American women during the early 20th century.
People
Cartha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cartha 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
Cartha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cartha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cartha 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Cartha a common name?
We classify Cartha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 66 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cartha most popular?
The single biggest year for Cartha was 1923, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cartha is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cartha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cartha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cartha 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.
Is Cartha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cartha in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cartha can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Cartha?
Find out how many people have the name Cartha on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.