nametree
← Carletonbrowse · build a nametreeCarli →

Carley

girl name
Origin
Germanic
Syllables
2
Peak era
1990s/2010s
Today
▬ Steady

Meaning

variant of Carly, feminine form of Carl, from Germanic karl, "man"

The story

Read the story of Carly →

More names with stories →

Carley around the world

One shared root links 24 names across 7 languages.

Shared root: from Germanic karl "man", Latinized as Carolus and spread everywhere by Charlemagne's fame

The constellation

CarleyEnglish · variantCharlesEnglishCarlScandinavianKarlGermanCarloItalianKarolPolishCaroleFrenchCarolinaPortuguese
16 more branches of this family
CharlieEnglish · diminutiveCharleyEnglish · diminutiveCharleeEnglish · variantCarolEnglish · short formCarolineFrench · feminine formKarolineGerman · variantCarolynEnglish · variantCarolynnEnglish · variantCarrieEnglish · short formCarlaItalian · feminine formCarlyEnglish · diminutiveCarlieEnglish · variantCharlotteFrench · feminine formCharletteEnglish · variantCharleneEnglish · feminine formLottieEnglish · diminutive

Popularity, 1890–2024

1890speak 1990s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Carley peaked in the 1990s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.

See popularity in Brazil

Popularity in Brazil

110 people · the #38,609 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 39

1970s1980s1990s

Among people named Carley living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.

Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

Names that fit alongside Carley

Lainey Miley Honey Billie Randi Charli

The Carley deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Carley truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Carley fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

Does Carley fit YOUR family?

nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.

Add Carley to your family’s tree →
BROWSEAll traditionsAll names🔍 Search a nameName storiesThree-letter namesShort namesVintage revivalsGender-neutralPolishJapaneseCantoneseIrishKoreanIndianMexican American
🌐English EspañolPortuguês