Carmen
Girl nameCarmen has been given to 159,756 babies in the U.S. since 1881. It peaked in 1961 and currently ranks #389 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈkɑː(ɹ)mən/
From Spanish Carmen, cognate with English Carmel. Made famous outside Spain by the opera Carmen (1875) by Georges Bizet.
Origin: Spanish
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
159,756
Peak year
1961 (2,622 babies)
Rank in 2025
#389 for girls
First recorded
1881
10-year trend
▲ +2%
Gender split
89% girls / 11% boys
Famous people named Carmen
Carmen Electra
American actress, model, and singer
Elisabeth of Wied
German writer; queen consort of Romania as the wife of King Carol I (1843–1916)
Carmen Amaya
Spanish flamenco dancer and singer
Carmen Kass
Estonian model and actress (born 1978)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Carmen.
Get new name insights first
Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.