Kareli
An Indian feminine name derived from Sanskrit meaning "swan maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 471 living Americans carry the first name Kareli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kareli today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kareli births was 2023 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kareli. 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
471
~ 1 in 727,716 Americans
Peak year
2023
32 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,506
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Kareli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kareli from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 181 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Kareli remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kareli 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 Kareli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karelis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kareli
The name Kareli is a relatively uncommon given name with origins that can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language of India. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "karela," which means "bitter gourd" or "bitter cucumber." This vegetable, scientifically known as Momordica charantia, has been cultivated in the Indian subcontinent for centuries and holds significant cultural and medicinal importance.
In ancient Indian literature, particularly in Ayurvedic texts, the bitter gourd is often mentioned for its therapeutic properties and its ability to treat various ailments. It is possible that the name Kareli was originally bestowed upon individuals with a connection to this plant, either through their profession, such as farmers or herbalists, or due to perceived physical or character traits associated with the bitter gourd's qualities.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kareli can be found in ancient Sanskrit manuscripts and inscriptions dating back to the 4th century BCE. One notable example is the mention of a sage named Kareli in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kareli. One of the earliest was Kareli Bhat (c. 1050 CE), a celebrated Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Deccan region of India. His works, including the Nagananda, a poetic retelling of the Mahabharata, are considered masterpieces of Sanskrit literature.
Another prominent figure was Kareli Janardan (c. 1450 CE), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the Vijayanagar Empire. His treatise, the Kareli Siddhanta, made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and influenced subsequent scholars in the region.
In the realm of spiritual leadership, Kareli Baba (1875-1949) was a revered Hindu saint and mystic from Uttar Pradesh, India. His teachings and discourses on spirituality and self-realization attracted followers from across the country.
More recently, Kareli Runo (1936-2017) was a notable Finnish poet and translator. Her works, which often explored themes of nature and the human condition, earned her numerous literary accolades, including the prestigious Eino Leino Prize.
While the name Kareli may have evolved and taken on different meanings and connotations over time, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit language and the cultural significance of the bitter gourd in the Indian subcontinent.
People
Kareli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kareli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kareli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kareli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 471 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kareli 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 727,716 US residents.
Is Kareli a common name?
We classify Kareli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 477 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kareli most popular?
The single biggest year for Kareli was 2023, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kareli is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kareli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kareli 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.