Holding steady, #14,942 for girls today.
Popularity of Caralee since 1929
Babies named Caralee per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 10 |
| 1930s | 62 |
| 1940s | 90 |
| 1950s | 77 |
| 1960s | 130 |
| 1970s | 179 |
| 1980s | 111 |
| 1990s | 70 |
| 2000s | 48 |
| 2010s | 83 |
| 2020s | 5 |
Meaning & origin
Caralee is a modern invented name that first entered U.S. birth records in 1929, though it never achieved widespread popularity. Its peak year came in 1971, during the height of names ending in '-lee' for girls. As of 2025, Caralee ranks 14,942 with a frequency of 1 in 321,453 births, a stable trajectory that reflects its continued but niche use. The name blends Cara, meaning 'beloved' in Italian, with the common suffix 'lee', derived from an Old English word for a clearing. This combination typifies mid-20th-century naming trends that favored compound feminine names.
Caralee is a modern invented name, combining Cara (from Italian 'cara', meaning 'beloved') with the syllable 'lee' (from Old English 'leah', meaning 'clearing' or 'meadow'). It first appeared in U.S. records in 1929 and saw peak usage in the 1970s, fitting a pattern of feminine names ending in '-lee' or '-lea' popular mid-century.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Cara, Carrie, Lee, Lea
Sibling names for Caralee
Names that share Caralee's style, for a brother or sister.
