Entry № 0468 · English, Germanic origin

Carly Carly — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ KAR-lee /
Gender
Girl
Origin
English, Germanic
Meaning
"Free woman (Carly Simon, You're So Vain; Carly Rae Jepsen)"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 950
First recorded
Modern (English)

A name that means "free woman (carly simon, you're so vain; carly rae jepsen)".

Carly is a 20th-century American feminine of Carl — Old Germanic karl (free man). **Carly Simon (born 1943)** — **American singer-songwriter; 1972's *You're So Vain* — about an unnamed lover whose identity she partially revealed only in 2015 (Warren Beatty for the second verse) — spent three weeks at #1**. **Two Grammy Awards; Songwriters Hall of Fame (1994)**. **"Nobody Does It Better" (1977 *The Spy Who Loved Me* theme), "You're the One," "Coming Around Again," "Let the River Run" (Oscar 1989)**. **Carly Rae Jepsen (born 1985)** — Canadian singer; *Call Me Maybe* (2012) topped charts in 19 countries and is among the best-selling singles of all time. **Carly Fiorina (born 1954)** — former Hewlett-Packard CEO and 2016 presidential candidate.

Subject of Carly Simon's memoir *Boys in the Trees* (2015).

Free woman. Carly Simon's You're So Vain stayed #1 for three weeks; Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe.

The name in its native script.

Carly
Transliteration
Carly
Pronunciation
/ ˈkɑːr.li /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Carly stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 950 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 144 in 1985
Babies named Carly · last year
220 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1968
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #144 NOW · #950

Carlys before her.

Real people
Carly Simon
American singer-songwriter.
born 1943
Carly Rae Jepsen
Canadian singer.
born 1985
Carly Fiorina
Former HP CEO.
born 1954
In fiction
Carly
iCarly.
2007

Names connected to Carly.

The number behind Carly.

9

The Humanitarian

Carly reduces to nine — the number of free woman.

Why families chose this name.

"Simon's free. Five letters. Carly."
Catherine · Mother of one · Manhattan