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
Show data for
Peak · girls
1988 · 3,039 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
3 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
101,743
since 1896

Kara over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201984peak #95, 1988girls
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
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,071226—
2024#990261—
2023#936283—
2022#869319—
2021#764373—
2020#669427—
2019#576530—
2018#500621—
2017#515610—
2016#499626—
2015#507624—
2014#439731—
2013#374834—
2012#363860—
2011#339938—
2010#2921,113—
2009#2381,391—
2008#2571,338—
2007#2881,171—
2006#2821,192—
2005#2671,230—
2004#2491,285#8,1438
2003#2391,356—
2002#2231,403—
2001#2161,476—
2000#1921,649—
1999#1831,688—
1998#1761,711—
1997#1611,907#9,2655
1996#1651,909—
1995#1522,148—
1994#1342,376#5,8689
1993#1312,527—
1992#1142,931#8,4355
1991#1063,281—
1990#1103,036#8,1175
1989#1013,121#3,61815
1988#953,039#6,4266
1987#1042,699#3,52113
1986#1022,722#2,89117
1985#982,811#3,40113
1984#952,855#4,5528
1983#1012,714#2,67617
1982#1132,661#3,28213
1981#1212,439#4,5098
1980#1272,445#3,25613
1979#1252,300#3,35712
1978#1272,290—
1977#1202,415#3,38611
1976#1382,037#4,0128
1975#1182,358#2,75114
1974#1252,304#3,5589
1973#1671,630—
1972#1961,454#4,4416
1971#2041,469#4,9075
1970#2091,503#3,5218
1969#2221,354#3,5957
1968#290908#4,1365
1967#275949#3,5596
1966#380580—
1965#319798#3,5376
1964#366663—
1963#329817—
1962#429516#3,3057
1961#553319—
1960#909135—
1959#1,001111—
1958#933122—
1957#1,09092—
1956#935116—
1955#1,09983#3,8865
1954#1,37753#3,4526
1953#1,31854—
1952#1,52340—
1951#1,48140—
1950#1,65332—
1949#2,06922—
1948#1,85826—
1947#1,51039—
1946#1,80825—
1945#1,94119—
1944#1,91620—
1943#2,15117—
1942#1,70624—
1941#2,01817—
1940#2,42412—
1939#2,30013—
1938#2,34013—
1937#2,10115—
1936#3,3767—
1935#3,1568—
1934#3,8026—
1933#3,1098—
1932#3,9016—
1931#4,3315—
1930——
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1928——
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1920——
1919#3,8177—
1918——
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1916—#3,5166
1915—#3,3926
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1896#1,5835—
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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 1984

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #112 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 440 girlsAKMaine: #76 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 312 girlsMEVermont: #58 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 230 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #77 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 334 girlsNHWashington: #85 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 440 girlsWAIdaho: #50 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 210 girlsIDMontana: #61 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 260 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #75 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 298 girlsNDMinnesota: #103 for girls · 52 births · 1 in 551 girlsMNIllinois: #81 for girls · 176 births · 1 in 413 girlsILWisconsin: #102 for girls · 59 births · 1 in 519 girlsWIMichigan: #85 for girls · 118 births · 1 in 478 girlsMINew York: #106 for girls · 180 births · 1 in 580 girlsNYMassachusetts: #68 for girls · 101 births · 1 in 332 girlsMARhode Island: #57 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 233 girlsRIOregon: #67 for girls · 51 births · 1 in 307 girlsORNevada: #135 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 585 girlsNVWyoming: #91 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 365 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #59 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 218 girlsSDIowa: #57 for girls · 70 births · 1 in 254 girlsIAIndiana: #66 for girls · 91 births · 1 in 366 girlsINOhio: #74 for girls · 166 births · 1 in 417 girlsOHPennsylvania: #80 for girls · 166 births · 1 in 410 girlsPANew Jersey: #132 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 711 girlsNJConnecticut: #67 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 308 girlsCTCalifornia: #209 for girls · 171 births · 1 in 1,126 girlsCAUtah: #95 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 482 girlsUTColorado: #90 for girls · 48 births · 1 in 451 girlsCONebraska: #60 for girls · 40 births · 1 in 260 girlsNEMissouri: #89 for girls · 68 births · 1 in 461 girlsMOKentucky: #86 for girls · 51 births · 1 in 430 girlsKYWest Virginia: #50 for girls · 50 births · 1 in 200 girlsWVVirginia: #100 for girls · 61 births · 1 in 514 girlsVAMaryland: #113 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 558 girlsMDDelaware: #118 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 506 girlsDEArizona: #93 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 449 girlsAZNew Mexico: #133 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 613 girlsNMKansas: #62 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 288 girlsKSArkansas: #99 for girls · 28 births · 1 in 456 girlsARTennessee: #121 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 638 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #196 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 1,136 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #214 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 1,176 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #133 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 516 girlsDCOklahoma: #59 for girls · 74 births · 1 in 279 girlsOKLouisiana: #158 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 831 girlsLAMississippi: #238 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,254 girlsMSAlabama: #139 for girls · 30 births · 1 in 718 girlsALGeorgia: #219 for girls · 28 births · 1 in 1,275 girlsGAHawaii: #148 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 585 girlsHITexas: #121 for girls · 189 births · 1 in 690 girlsTXFlorida: #120 for girls · 91 births · 1 in 678 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. West Virginia#50 · 1 in 200
  2. Idaho#50 · 1 in 210
  3. Rhode Island#57 · 1 in 233
  4. Iowa#57 · 1 in 254
  5. Vermont#58 · 1 in 230

Best ever in a state: #37 in Wyoming, 1977.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Idaho#50291 in 210
West Virginia#50501 in 200
Iowa#57701 in 254
Rhode Island#57201 in 233
Vermont#58121 in 230
Oklahoma#59741 in 279
South Dakota#59201 in 218
Nebraska#60401 in 260
Montana#61181 in 260
Kansas#62531 in 288
Indiana#66911 in 366
Connecticut#67531 in 308
Oregon#67511 in 307
Massachusetts#681011 in 332
Ohio#741661 in 417
North Dakota#75161 in 298
Maine#76201 in 312
New Hampshire#77161 in 334
Pennsylvania#801661 in 410
Illinois#811761 in 413
Michigan#851181 in 478
Washington#85611 in 440
Kentucky#86511 in 430
Missouri#89681 in 461
Colorado#90481 in 451
Wyoming#9181 in 365
Arizona#93471 in 449
Utah#95311 in 482
Arkansas#99281 in 456
Virginia#100611 in 514
Wisconsin#102591 in 519
Minnesota#103521 in 551
New York#1061801 in 580
Alaska#11291 in 440
Maryland#113411 in 558
Delaware#11861 in 506
Florida#120911 in 678
Tennessee#121431 in 638
Texas#1211891 in 690
New Jersey#132551 in 711
District of Columbia#133111 in 516
New Mexico#133161 in 613
Nevada#13581 in 585
Alabama#139301 in 718
Hawaii#14891 in 585
Louisiana#158371 in 831
North Carolina#196301 in 1,136
California#2091711 in 1,126
South Carolina#214151 in 1,176
Georgia#219281 in 1,275
Mississippi#238121 in 1,254

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
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1890s5#1,583 (1896)#1,583
1900s0——
1910s7#3,817 (1919)#3,817
1920s0——
1930s81#2,101 (1937)#3,157
1940s221#1,510 (1947)#1,940
1950s743#933 (1958)#1,241
1960s7,039#222 (1969)#407
1970s19,760#118 (1975)#153
1980s27,506#95 (1988)#106
1990s23,514#106 (1991)#143
2000s13,491#192 (2000)#245
2010s7,487#292 (2010)#440
2020s1,889#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 1984

girls
#95
2,855 births · 1 in 590 girls
boys
#4,552
8 births · 1 in 225,606 boys

Top girls' names in 1984

  1. #1Jennifer50,564
  2. #2Jessica45,857
  3. #3Ashley38,773
  4. #4Amanda33,915
  5. #5Sarah25,887
  6. #6Stephanie23,025
  7. #7Nicole22,270
  8. #8Melissa21,896
  9. #9Heather21,489
  10. #10Elizabeth20,360
  11. #95Kara2,855

Top boys' names in 1984

  1. #1Michael67,735
  2. #2Christopher60,021
  3. #3Matthew49,767
  4. #4Joshua40,266
  5. #5David38,492
  6. #6Daniel36,531
  7. #7James35,859
  8. #8John32,610
  9. #9Robert31,768
  10. #10Joseph30,513
  11. #4,552Kara8
More about 1984

girls

1,683,817 girls got a published name in 1984; 1 in 590 of them was named Kara, which outranked 99.2% of the 12,181 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 18.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kara
  1. #92Margaret3,033
  2. #93Bethany2,980
  3. #94Sandra2,881
  4. #95Kara2,855
  5. #96Alexandra2,814
  6. #97Nichole2,806
  7. #98Misty2,792
Biggest movers since 1983
Risers
  1. ↑ 8,259Santana#9,015 → #756
  2. ↑ 2,419Tasia#3,151 → #732
  3. ↑ 2,198Teela#3,065 → #867
  4. ↑ 1,074Grisel#1,858 → #784
  5. ↑ 894Kaylee#1,715 → #821
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,856Dwan#874 → #2,730
  2. ↓ 720Toccara#937 → #1,657
  3. ↓ 713Kaleena#547 → #1,260
  4. ↓ 303Karie#1,000 → #1,303
  5. ↓ 300Karyn#820 → #1,120

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,804,848 boys got a published name in 1984; 1 in 225,606 of them was named Kara, which outranked 38.0% of the 7,341 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kara
  1. #4,215Zacharey9
  2. #4,215Zaki9
  3. #4,215Zeeshan9
  4. #4,552Kara8
  5. #4,552Aakash8
  6. #4,552Abayomi8
  7. #4,552Abhishek8
  8. #4,973Aamir7
  9. #4,973Aaren7
  10. #4,973Abbas7

Tied with 420 names at #4,552; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1983
Risers
  1. ↑ 958Ryne#1,562 → #604
  2. ↑ 472Rachel#1,448 → #976
  3. ↑ 399Zebulon#1,375 → #976
  4. ↑ 359Travon#1,327 → #968
  5. ↑ 347Mackenzie#1,347 → #1,000
Fallers
  1. ↓ 741Trumaine#949 → #1,690
  2. ↓ 422Basil#1,000 → #1,422
  3. ↓ 240Alfonzo#1,000 → #1,240
  4. ↓ 208Jasen#804 → #1,012
  5. ↓ 205Woodrow#949 → #1,154

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1984 →