Kara
#1,071 for girls in 2025, 226 births · Last seen for boys in 2004 at #8,143
Given to girls 99.7% of the time
Showing
- Peak · girls
- 1988 · 3,039 births
- Debut · girls
- 5 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 3 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 101,743since 1896
Kara over time
girls
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
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 | #1,071 | 226 | — | |
| 2024 | #990 | 261 | — | |
| 2023 | #936 | 283 | — | |
| 2022 | #869 | 319 | — | |
| 2021 | #764 | 373 | — | |
| 2020 | #669 | 427 | — | |
| 2019 | #576 | 530 | — | |
| 2018 | #500 | 621 | — | |
| 2017 | #515 | 610 | — | |
| 2016 | #499 | 626 | — | |
| 2015 | #507 | 624 | — | |
| 2014 | #439 | 731 | — | |
| 2013 | #374 | 834 | — | |
| 2012 | #363 | 860 | — | |
| 2011 | #339 | 938 | — | |
| 2010 | #292 | 1,113 | — | |
| 2009 | #238 | 1,391 | — | |
| 2008 | #257 | 1,338 | — | |
| 2007 | #288 | 1,171 | — | |
| 2006 | #282 | 1,192 | — | |
| 2005 | #267 | 1,230 | — | |
| 2004 | #249 | 1,285 | #8,143 | 8 |
| 2003 | #239 | 1,356 | — | |
| 2002 | #223 | 1,403 | — | |
| 2001 | #216 | 1,476 | — | |
| 2000 | #192 | 1,649 | — | |
| 1999 | #183 | 1,688 | — | |
| 1998 | #176 | 1,711 | — | |
| 1997 | #161 | 1,907 | #9,265 | 5 |
| 1996 | #165 | 1,909 | — | |
| 1995 | #152 | 2,148 | — | |
| 1994 | #134 | 2,376 | #5,868 | 9 |
| 1993 | #131 | 2,527 | — | |
| 1992 | #114 | 2,931 | #8,435 | 5 |
| 1991 | #106 | 3,281 | — | |
| 1990 | #110 | 3,036 | #8,117 | 5 |
| 1989 | #101 | 3,121 | #3,618 | 15 |
| 1988 | #95 | 3,039 | #6,426 | 6 |
| 1987 | #104 | 2,699 | #3,521 | 13 |
| 1986 | #102 | 2,722 | #2,891 | 17 |
| 1985 | #98 | 2,811 | #3,401 | 13 |
| 1984 | #95 | 2,855 | #4,552 | 8 |
| 1983 | #101 | 2,714 | #2,676 | 17 |
| 1982 | #113 | 2,661 | #3,282 | 13 |
| 1981 | #121 | 2,439 | #4,509 | 8 |
| 1980 | #127 | 2,445 | #3,256 | 13 |
| 1979 | #125 | 2,300 | #3,357 | 12 |
| 1978 | #127 | 2,290 | — | |
| 1977 | #120 | 2,415 | #3,386 | 11 |
| 1976 | #138 | 2,037 | #4,012 | 8 |
| 1975 | #118 | 2,358 | #2,751 | 14 |
| 1974 | #125 | 2,304 | #3,558 | 9 |
| 1973 | #167 | 1,630 | — | |
| 1972 | #196 | 1,454 | #4,441 | 6 |
| 1971 | #204 | 1,469 | #4,907 | 5 |
| 1970 | #209 | 1,503 | #3,521 | 8 |
| 1969 | #222 | 1,354 | #3,595 | 7 |
| 1968 | #290 | 908 | #4,136 | 5 |
| 1967 | #275 | 949 | #3,559 | 6 |
| 1966 | #380 | 580 | — | |
| 1965 | #319 | 798 | #3,537 | 6 |
| 1964 | #366 | 663 | — | |
| 1963 | #329 | 817 | — | |
| 1962 | #429 | 516 | #3,305 | 7 |
| 1961 | #553 | 319 | — | |
| 1960 | #909 | 135 | — | |
| 1959 | #1,001 | 111 | — | |
| 1958 | #933 | 122 | — | |
| 1957 | #1,090 | 92 | — | |
| 1956 | #935 | 116 | — | |
| 1955 | #1,099 | 83 | #3,886 | 5 |
| 1954 | #1,377 | 53 | #3,452 | 6 |
| 1953 | #1,318 | 54 | — | |
| 1952 | #1,523 | 40 | — | |
| 1951 | #1,481 | 40 | — | |
| 1950 | #1,653 | 32 | — | |
| 1949 | #2,069 | 22 | — | |
| 1948 | #1,858 | 26 | — | |
| 1947 | #1,510 | 39 | — | |
| 1946 | #1,808 | 25 | — | |
| 1945 | #1,941 | 19 | — | |
| 1944 | #1,916 | 20 | — | |
| 1943 | #2,151 | 17 | — | |
| 1942 | #1,706 | 24 | — | |
| 1941 | #2,018 | 17 | — | |
| 1940 | #2,424 | 12 | — | |
| 1939 | #2,300 | 13 | — | |
| 1938 | #2,340 | 13 | — | |
| 1937 | #2,101 | 15 | — | |
| 1936 | #3,376 | 7 | — | |
| 1935 | #3,156 | 8 | — | |
| 1934 | #3,802 | 6 | — | |
| 1933 | #3,109 | 8 | — | |
| 1932 | #3,901 | 6 | — | |
| 1931 | #4,331 | 5 | — | |
| 1930 | — | — | ||
| 1929 | — | — | ||
| 1928 | — | — | ||
| 1927 | — | — | ||
| 1926 | — | — | ||
| 1925 | — | — | ||
| 1924 | — | — | ||
| 1923 | — | — | ||
| 1922 | — | — | ||
| 1921 | — | — | ||
| 1920 | — | — | ||
| 1919 | #3,817 | 7 | — | |
| 1918 | — | — | ||
| 1917 | — | — | ||
| 1916 | — | #3,516 | 6 | |
| 1915 | — | #3,392 | 6 | |
| 1914 | — | — | ||
| 1913 | — | — | ||
| 1912 | — | — | ||
| 1911 | — | — | ||
| 1910 | — | — | ||
| 1909 | — | — | ||
| 1908 | — | — | ||
| 1907 | — | — | ||
| 1906 | — | — | ||
| 1905 | — | — | ||
| 1904 | — | — | ||
| 1903 | — | — | ||
| 1902 | — | — | ||
| 1901 | — | — | ||
| 1900 | — | — | ||
| 1899 | — | — | ||
| 1898 | — | — | ||
| 1897 | — | — | ||
| 1896 | #1,583 | 5 | — | |
| 1895 | — | — | ||
| 1894 | — | — | ||
| 1893 | — | — | ||
| 1892 | — | — | ||
| 1891 | — | — | ||
| 1890 | — | — | ||
| 1889 | — | — | ||
| 1888 | — | — | ||
| 1887 | — | — | ||
| 1886 | — | — | ||
| 1885 | — | — | ||
| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | — | — | ||
| 1882 | — | — | ||
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
First appearance
1896
The first year at least five girls were named Kara! It came in at #1,583, and was given to 5 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1896–1918, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.
Where Kara 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#46 · 1 in 188
- Nebraska#53 · 1 in 246
- Iowa#61 · 1 in 269
- New Hampshire#64 · 1 in 235
- Idaho#65 · 1 in 279
Best ever in a state: #37 in Wyoming, 1977.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | #46 | 13 | 1 in 188 |
| Nebraska | #53 | 40 | 1 in 246 |
| Iowa | #61 | 69 | 1 in 269 |
| New Hampshire | #64 | 20 | 1 in 235 |
| Idaho | #65 | 24 | 1 in 279 |
| Oregon | #70 | 50 | 1 in 309 |
| Montana | #72 | 16 | 1 in 275 |
| Alaska | #73 | 9 | 1 in 277 |
| Minnesota | #76 | 73 | 1 in 364 |
| North Dakota | #79 | 13 | 1 in 334 |
| West Virginia | #79 | 33 | 1 in 357 |
| Indiana | #81 | 85 | 1 in 409 |
| Oklahoma | #82 | 43 | 1 in 395 |
| Massachusetts | #84 | 83 | 1 in 357 |
| Utah | #88 | 38 | 1 in 399 |
| Arkansas | #89 | 30 | 1 in 419 |
| Maine | #90 | 16 | 1 in 370 |
| Wisconsin | #90 | 65 | 1 in 446 |
| Rhode Island | #92 | 11 | 1 in 391 |
| Missouri | #93 | 67 | 1 in 458 |
| South Dakota | #93 | 11 | 1 in 386 |
| Washington | #102 | 51 | 1 in 450 |
| Ohio | #103 | 136 | 1 in 507 |
| Michigan | #104 | 117 | 1 in 492 |
| Connecticut | #109 | 30 | 1 in 473 |
| Pennsylvania | #117 | 120 | 1 in 550 |
| Illinois | #118 | 129 | 1 in 550 |
| Delaware | #119 | 6 | 1 in 463 |
| Nevada | #123 | 7 | 1 in 474 |
| Arizona | #129 | 29 | 1 in 565 |
| Colorado | #130 | 29 | 1 in 596 |
| Kansas | #132 | 23 | 1 in 584 |
| Maryland | #133 | 30 | 1 in 609 |
| New York | #136 | 148 | 1 in 664 |
| Kentucky | #146 | 34 | 1 in 703 |
| Virginia | #149 | 40 | 1 in 696 |
| District of Columbia | #155 | 9 | 1 in 615 |
| Texas | #156 | 132 | 1 in 783 |
| New Jersey | #161 | 44 | 1 in 824 |
| Florida | #163 | 52 | 1 in 847 |
| North Carolina | #165 | 41 | 1 in 789 |
| New Mexico | #172 | 12 | 1 in 682 |
| Tennessee | #173 | 33 | 1 in 844 |
| Hawaii | #185 | 7 | 1 in 650 |
| California | #204 | 146 | 1 in 1,050 |
| Alabama | #247 | 17 | 1 in 1,279 |
| Georgia | #252 | 24 | 1 in 1,344 |
| South Carolina | #336 | 9 | 1 in 1,895 |
| Louisiana | #348 | 14 | 1 in 1,966 |
| Mississippi | #362 | 8 | 1 in 1,917 |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
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 Kara
Momentum · girls
Falling
- 81 spots since 2024 (#990 → #1,071)
- 402 spots since 2020 (#669 → #1,071)
- 564 spots since 2015 (#507 → #1,071)
- Biggest jump: 356 spots in 1961 (#909 → #553)
- Biggest drop: 155 spots in 1957 (#935 → #1,090)
Rise & fade · girls
92 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1896
- Peaked 1988 at #95 (3,039 births)
- Births halved by 2001, 13 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 3 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 3 yrs · run 1984–1985
- Top 1,000: 67 yrs · run 1960–2024
Share of babies · girls
1 in 571
- Highest: 1 in 571 girls born in 1991 were named Kara (0.17%)
- Latest: 1 in 7,112 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
- Its best rank, #95 in 1988, was only 1 in 586 (0.17%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1980s
- 27.0% of all girls named Kara (27,506) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 | #1,583 (1896) | #1,583 |
| 1900s | 0 | — | — |
| 1910s | 7 | #3,817 (1919) | #3,817 |
| 1920s | 0 | — | — |
| 1930s | 81 | #2,101 (1937) | #3,157 |
| 1940s | 221 | #1,510 (1947) | #1,940 |
| 1950s | 743 | #933 (1958) | #1,241 |
| 1960s | 7,039 | #222 (1969) | #407 |
| 1970s | 19,760 | #118 (1975) | #153 |
| 1980s | 27,506 | #95 (1988) | #106 |
| 1990s | 23,514 | #106 (1991) | #143 |
| 2000s | 13,491 | #192 (2000) | #245 |
| 2010s | 7,487 | #292 (2010) | #440 |
| 2020s | 1,889 | #669 (2020) | #883 |
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.
Kara in 1978
girls
#127
2,290 births · 1 in 669 girls
Top girls' names in 1978
More about 1978
girls
1,531,859 girls got a published name in 1978; 1 in 669 of them was named Kara, which outranked 98.9% 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 Kara
Biggest movers since 1977
Risers
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.