Carley: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “free man”
- Origin
- Germanic
- Say it
- KAR-lee · 2 syllables
- Used for
- Girls (98% of all uses)
Usually a variant of Carly or Carli, modern feminine forms influenced by Carl and Charles. It can also reflect transfer from the English surname Carlyle in some cases.
How popular is Carley?
Babies named Carley in 202453
2024 rank#3,045 girls
Peak year1998
Total US babies since 188017,269
Carley is fading: recent use is about 32% of its level ten years before.
Names like Carley
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
Carley questions
What does the name Carley mean?
Carley means "free man". It comes from Germanic. Usually a variant of Carly or Carli, modern feminine forms influenced by Carl and Charles. It can also reflect transfer from the English surname Carlyle in some cases.
Is Carley a boy or girl name?
Carley is mainly a girl's name in US records (98% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Carley?
53 US babies were named Carley in 2024. Its peak year was 1998.
How do you pronounce Carley?
Carley is usually pronounced KAR-lee.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.