2000
#107,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Carla
A feminine form of the Spanish name Carlos, meaning "manly" or "strong".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Carla. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carla surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Carla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carla, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.2%) and Black (18.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carla
The surname Carla is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the medieval Italian word "carla," which meant "a free man" or "a peasant." In those times, it was common for people to be identified by their status or occupation, and the name Carla may have been given to someone who was a free peasant.
The earliest known record of the surname Carla appears in a document from the city of Florence, Italy, dated 1289. The document mentions a certain "Giovanni Carla," who was a landowner in the Tuscan region. This suggests that the name had already been in use for some time before the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name Carla was also found in the Venetian Republic, where it was spelled "Carla" or "Carlà." One notable bearer of the name from this period was Nicolò Carla (1325-1397), a merchant and diplomat who served as an ambassador for the Republic of Venice to the court of the Byzantine Empire.
The name Carla continued to be prevalent in various regions of Italy throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. In the 16th century, there was a prominent Florentine family called the Carla, who were patrons of the arts and commissioned several works of art and architecture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carla outside of Italy was in the Kingdom of Aragon, now part of Spain. In the 14th century, there was a nobleman named Pere Carla (1342-1412), who served as a military commander and played a significant role in the Aragonese expansion into the Mediterranean.
Another notable bearer of the surname Carla was Girolamo Carla (1501-1556), an Italian architect and engineer who worked on several significant projects in Rome, including the renovation of the Basilica of St. Peter's and the construction of the Palazzo Farnese.
In the 17th century, the name Carla was also found in the records of the Catholic Church. There was a Franciscan friar named Tommaso Carla (1589-1662), who was a renowned theologian and served as the Bishop of Catania in Sicily.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Carla continued to be found in various parts of Italy, as well as in regions with strong Italian influence, such as parts of Switzerland and Croatia. Some other notable individuals with the surname Carla include the Italian politician and journalist Ettore Carla (1878-1946) and the Italian-American artist and sculptor Pietro Carla (1906-1984).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carla
Among Census respondents with the surname Carla, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.2%) and Black (18.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Carla bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Carla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.0% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino25.2% · 29
- Black or African American18.3% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carla
Carla appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-37 bearers (-24.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 35,584 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,565 | 153 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -37 bearers (-24.2%) | Down 35,584 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,608 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Carla surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #143,149 | #145,757 | -1.8% |
| Count | 116 | 115 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carla bearers went from 116 to 115 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,757.
FAQ
Carla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carla?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Carla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Carla?
Carla ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Carla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Carla.
Has Carla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carla went from 116 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Carla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carla, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.2%) and Black (18.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.0% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.0%), Hispanic (25.2%), Black (18.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Carla (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Carla mean?
A feminine form of the Spanish name Carlos, meaning "manly" or "strong". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Carla (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Carla?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Carla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.