Cara
#1,326 for girls in 2025, 168 births · Last seen for boys in 1992 at #8,435
Given to girls 99.9% of the time
Showing
- Peak · girls
- 1985 · 1,465 births
- Debut · girls
- 5 births
- In top 100 · girls
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 53,305since 1882
Cara over time
girls
Rank among girls' names. Cara has never cracked the top 100 here.
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #1,326 | 168 | — | |
| 2024 | #1,296 | 178 | — | |
| 2023 | #1,264 | 182 | — | |
| 2022 | #1,163 | 208 | — | |
| 2021 | #1,024 | 248 | — | |
| 2020 | #907 | 289 | — | |
| 2019 | #1,020 | 252 | — | |
| 2018 | #874 | 310 | — | |
| 2017 | #860 | 318 | — | |
| 2016 | #808 | 352 | — | |
| 2015 | #728 | 389 | — | |
| 2014 | #675 | 421 | — | |
| 2013 | #620 | 451 | — | |
| 2012 | #695 | 404 | — | |
| 2011 | #609 | 473 | — | |
| 2010 | #642 | 460 | — | |
| 2009 | #468 | 663 | — | |
| 2008 | #464 | 681 | — | |
| 2007 | #539 | 579 | — | |
| 2006 | #554 | 531 | — | |
| 2005 | #550 | 522 | — | |
| 2004 | #508 | 570 | — | |
| 2003 | #503 | 568 | — | |
| 2002 | #481 | 584 | — | |
| 2001 | #458 | 604 | — | |
| 2000 | #393 | 732 | — | |
| 1999 | #386 | 728 | — | |
| 1998 | #359 | 807 | — | |
| 1997 | #343 | 819 | — | |
| 1996 | #324 | 862 | — | |
| 1995 | #308 | 900 | — | |
| 1994 | #273 | 1,026 | — | |
| 1993 | #251 | 1,106 | — | |
| 1992 | #248 | 1,125 | #8,435 | 5 |
| 1991 | #228 | 1,259 | — | |
| 1990 | #234 | 1,212 | — | |
| 1989 | #211 | 1,275 | #5,165 | 9 |
| 1988 | #207 | 1,268 | #7,270 | 5 |
| 1987 | #213 | 1,232 | #4,968 | 8 |
| 1986 | #194 | 1,338 | — | |
| 1985 | #184 | 1,465 | #5,147 | 7 |
| 1984 | #191 | 1,440 | — | |
| 1983 | #191 | 1,394 | — | |
| 1982 | #204 | 1,328 | #5,619 | 6 |
| 1981 | #209 | 1,261 | #6,262 | 5 |
| 1980 | #203 | 1,276 | — | |
| 1979 | #211 | 1,247 | #4,842 | 7 |
| 1978 | #191 | 1,346 | — | |
| 1977 | #189 | 1,411 | #5,845 | 5 |
| 1976 | #219 | 1,103 | #5,587 | 5 |
| 1975 | #207 | 1,192 | — | |
| 1974 | #235 | 1,074 | — | |
| 1973 | #286 | 847 | — | |
| 1972 | #324 | 722 | — | |
| 1971 | #337 | 755 | — | |
| 1970 | #351 | 716 | — | |
| 1969 | #367 | 636 | — | |
| 1968 | #414 | 508 | — | |
| 1967 | #365 | 604 | — | |
| 1966 | #347 | 677 | — | |
| 1965 | #274 | 987 | — | |
| 1964 | #366 | 663 | — | |
| 1963 | #368 | 682 | — | |
| 1962 | #455 | 448 | — | |
| 1961 | #531 | 340 | — | |
| 1960 | #663 | 234 | — | |
| 1959 | #706 | 200 | — | |
| 1958 | #878 | 134 | — | |
| 1957 | #782 | 165 | — | |
| 1956 | #736 | 172 | — | |
| 1955 | #773 | 154 | — | |
| 1954 | #847 | 124 | — | |
| 1953 | #940 | 101 | — | |
| 1952 | #1,008 | 87 | — | |
| 1951 | #1,014 | 84 | — | |
| 1950 | #1,099 | 70 | — | |
| 1949 | #1,056 | 72 | — | |
| 1948 | #1,285 | 51 | — | |
| 1947 | #1,238 | 53 | — | |
| 1946 | #1,257 | 47 | — | |
| 1945 | #1,155 | 46 | — | |
| 1944 | #1,236 | 41 | — | |
| 1943 | #1,087 | 54 | — | |
| 1942 | #1,137 | 48 | — | |
| 1941 | #1,117 | 44 | — | |
| 1940 | #1,218 | 36 | — | |
| 1939 | #1,474 | 26 | — | |
| 1938 | #1,182 | 38 | — | |
| 1937 | #1,063 | 45 | — | |
| 1936 | #1,135 | 39 | — | |
| 1935 | #1,418 | 27 | — | |
| 1934 | #1,166 | 37 | — | |
| 1933 | #1,606 | 22 | — | |
| 1932 | #1,421 | 28 | — | |
| 1931 | #2,105 | 15 | — | |
| 1930 | #1,460 | 28 | — | |
| 1929 | #1,393 | 30 | — | |
| 1928 | #1,897 | 20 | — | |
| 1927 | #1,669 | 25 | — | |
| 1926 | #1,166 | 43 | — | |
| 1925 | #1,609 | 27 | — | |
| 1924 | #1,533 | 30 | — | |
| 1923 | #1,388 | 33 | — | |
| 1922 | #1,366 | 34 | — | |
| 1921 | #1,927 | 21 | — | |
| 1920 | #2,079 | 18 | — | |
| 1919 | #1,921 | 19 | — | |
| 1918 | #1,333 | 33 | — | |
| 1917 | #1,605 | 23 | — | |
| 1916 | #1,408 | 27 | — | |
| 1915 | #1,285 | 30 | — | |
| 1914 | #1,480 | 19 | — | |
| 1913 | #1,229 | 21 | — | |
| 1912 | #1,352 | 16 | — | |
| 1911 | #1,372 | 12 | — | |
| 1910 | #997 | 19 | — | |
| 1909 | #1,219 | 12 | — | |
| 1908 | #1,203 | 12 | — | |
| 1907 | #945 | 16 | — | |
| 1906 | #1,154 | 11 | — | |
| 1905 | #1,538 | 7 | — | |
| 1904 | #1,092 | 11 | — | |
| 1903 | #1,204 | 9 | — | |
| 1902 | #1,075 | 11 | — | |
| 1901 | #1,339 | 7 | — | |
| 1900 | #917 | 17 | — | |
| 1899 | #983 | 11 | — | |
| 1898 | #840 | 16 | — | |
| 1897 | #982 | 11 | — | |
| 1896 | #1,213 | 8 | — | |
| 1895 | #932 | 12 | — | |
| 1894 | #1,136 | 8 | — | |
| 1893 | — | — | ||
| 1892 | #1,171 | 7 | — | |
| 1891 | #839 | 11 | — | |
| 1890 | #1,099 | 7 | — | |
| 1889 | #1,025 | 7 | — | |
| 1888 | #894 | 9 | — | |
| 1887 | #733 | 10 | — | |
| 1886 | #993 | 6 | — | |
| 1885 | #629 | 12 | — | |
| 1884 | #793 | 8 | — | |
| 1883 | #817 | 6 | — | |
| 1882 | #908 | 5 | — | |
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
First appearance
1882
The first year at least five girls were named Cara! It came in at #908, and was given to 5 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1893, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.
Where Cara is popular in 1978
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
Top states · girls
- Wyoming#88 · 1 in 305
- Vermont#100 · 1 in 410
- Massachusetts#109 · 1 in 494
- Alaska#128 · 1 in 415
- Maryland#129 · 1 in 571
Best ever in a state: #79 in New Hampshire, 1977.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | #88 | 8 | 1 in 305 |
| Vermont | #100 | 6 | 1 in 410 |
| Massachusetts | #109 | 60 | 1 in 494 |
| Alaska | #128 | 6 | 1 in 415 |
| Maryland | #129 | 32 | 1 in 571 |
| Rhode Island | #130 | 8 | 1 in 538 |
| Missouri | #135 | 46 | 1 in 666 |
| Maine | #147 | 8 | 1 in 739 |
| Indiana | #148 | 46 | 1 in 756 |
| Iowa | #148 | 24 | 1 in 775 |
| Pennsylvania | #148 | 88 | 1 in 750 |
| Oregon | #155 | 20 | 1 in 772 |
| Oklahoma | #156 | 24 | 1 in 709 |
| Minnesota | #159 | 31 | 1 in 856 |
| Ohio | #167 | 78 | 1 in 884 |
| Kansas | #168 | 17 | 1 in 790 |
| New Jersey | #168 | 42 | 1 in 864 |
| Idaho | #169 | 9 | 1 in 743 |
| Washington | #169 | 28 | 1 in 819 |
| Connecticut | #170 | 16 | 1 in 887 |
| Nebraska | #174 | 12 | 1 in 819 |
| Illinois | #179 | 73 | 1 in 971 |
| Utah | #183 | 18 | 1 in 843 |
| South Dakota | #184 | 5 | 1 in 849 |
| Colorado | #187 | 19 | 1 in 910 |
| West Virginia | #187 | 13 | 1 in 907 |
| New York | #193 | 98 | 1 in 1,003 |
| Virginia | #194 | 28 | 1 in 994 |
| Florida | #204 | 40 | 1 in 1,101 |
| Hawaii | #213 | 6 | 1 in 758 |
| Wisconsin | #218 | 21 | 1 in 1,379 |
| District of Columbia | #230 | 6 | 1 in 922 |
| Arizona | #235 | 15 | 1 in 1,092 |
| California | #235 | 127 | 1 in 1,207 |
| Texas | #236 | 89 | 1 in 1,162 |
| Tennessee | #239 | 21 | 1 in 1,327 |
| Michigan | #241 | 37 | 1 in 1,555 |
| Kentucky | #250 | 16 | 1 in 1,493 |
| Arkansas | #258 | 10 | 1 in 1,258 |
| North Carolina | #267 | 21 | 1 in 1,541 |
| New Mexico | #269 | 7 | 1 in 1,169 |
| South Carolina | #336 | 9 | 1 in 1,895 |
| Georgia | #342 | 16 | 1 in 2,016 |
| Mississippi | #362 | 8 | 1 in 1,917 |
| Alabama | #389 | 9 | 1 in 2,417 |
| Louisiana | #476 | 9 | 1 in 3,057 |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| Montana | — | — | — |
| Nevada | — | — | — |
| New Hampshire | — | — | — |
| North Dakota | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Cara
Momentum · girls
Falling
- 30 spots since 2024 (#1,296 → #1,326)
- 419 spots since 2020 (#907 → #1,326)
- 598 spots since 2015 (#728 → #1,326)
- Biggest jump: 260 spots in 1887 (#993 → #733)
- Biggest drop: 422 spots in 1901 (#917 → #1,339)
Rise & fade · girls
103 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1882
- Peaked 1985 at #184 (1,465 births)
- Births halved by 1999, 14 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 82 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 82 yrs · run 1953–2018
Share of babies · girls
1 in 1,087
- Highest: 1 in 1,087 girls born in 1977 were named Cara (0.09%)
- Latest: 1 in 9,567 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
- Its best rank, #184 in 1985, was only 1 in 1,175 (0.09%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1980s
- 24.9% of all girls named Cara (13,277) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 63 | #629 (1885) | #849 |
| 1890s | 91 | #839 (1891) | #1,022 |
| 1900s | 113 | #917 (1900) | #1,169 |
| 1910s | 219 | #997 (1910) | #1,398 |
| 1920s | 281 | #1,166 (1926) | #1,603 |
| 1930s | 305 | #1,063 (1937) | #1,403 |
| 1940s | 492 | #1,056 (1949) | #1,179 |
| 1950s | 1,291 | #706 (1959) | #878 |
| 1960s | 5,779 | #274 (1965) | #415 |
| 1970s | 10,413 | #189 (1977) | #255 |
| 1980s | 13,277 | #184 (1985) | #201 |
| 1990s | 9,844 | #228 (1991) | #295 |
| 2000s | 6,034 | #393 (2000) | #492 |
| 2010s | 3,830 | #609 (2011) | #753 |
| 2020s | 1,273 | #907 (2020) | #1,163 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Cara in 1978
girls
#191
1,346 births · 1 in 1,138 girls
Top girls' names in 1978
More about 1978
girls
1,531,859 girls got a published name in 1978; 1 in 1,138 of them was named Cara, which outranked 98.3% of the 11,475 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Ranked beside Cara
Biggest movers since 1977
Risers
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.