Carla
Italian · Girl · 2 syllables
Popularity & facts
Relative popularity index, 2010–2025Popularity over time
Popularity indexHistorical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data
About the name Carla
Carla means "free woman" or "strong woman" and derives from the Germanic name Karl, which comes from the Old High German "carl" meaning man or fellow, combined with the feminine suffix "-a."
The name is primarily used in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German-speaking cultures, with Christian heritage, and gained prominence in the 20th century through notable figures in entertainment, politics, and academia across Western Europe and the Americas.
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Etymology
Carla means "free woman" or "strong woman" and derives from the Germanic name Karl, which comes from the Old High German "carl" meaning man or fellow, combined with the feminine suffix "-a."
The name is primarily used in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German-speaking cultures, with Christian heritage, and gained prominence in the 20th century through notable figures in entertainment, politics, and academia across Western Europe and the Americas.
Carla currently ranks #1,083 in the United States as a girl's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1962.
Variants & nicknames
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Sibling name ideas
Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, English, German, Dutch names that sit beautifully beside CarlaSimilar names you might like
Names starting with CMore names starting with C
- Caleb
- Callan
- Caelan
- Callum
- Callie
- Caetana
- Cadhla
- Caio
- Cahir
- Caitlin
- Calvin
- Caetano
- Caiden
- Calum
- Caden
- Cairo
- Cali
- Callahan
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Names that sound like Carla
Phonetic match, not just spelling"Carl means "free man" or "man" and derives from the Germanic root "karl," which originally referred to a peasant or…"
"Charlie is a diminutive form of Charles, derived from the Germanic name Karl, meaning "free man" or "strong man." The…"
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"Charly is a diminutive or informal spelling of Charles, derived from the Germanic name Karl, meaning "free man" or "man"…"
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"The name 'Charley' is a diminutive of 'Charles', meaning "free man," derived from the Germanic element *karlaz*."
"Carol derives from the Latin name Carolus, meaning "man" or "free man," with roots in the Germanic element *karl*."
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"Charli is a modern English diminutive or informal spelling of Charlie, which derives from the name Charles, ultimately rooted in…"
"Carley is a modern English feminine variant of the name Carla, which derives from the Germanic name Karl, meaning "free…"
"Carlie is a feminine variant of the name Carl or Charles, derived from the Germanic root "carl" meaning "man" or…"