Declining since 1985, #14,942 for girls today.
Popularity of Caridad since 1924
Babies named Caridad per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 23 |
| 1930s | 24 |
| 1940s | 17 |
| 1950s | 120 |
| 1960s | 317 |
| 1970s | 478 |
| 1980s | 391 |
| 1990s | 240 |
| 2000s | 98 |
| 2010s | 41 |
| 2020s | 10 |
Meaning & origin
Caridad is a Spanish virtue name that has been in consistent but modest use in the United States since at least 1924, when it first appeared in Social Security records. Its peak popularity came in 1976, though even then it was a relatively rare choice. Since 1985 the name has been on a gradual decline in usage, reflecting a broader shift away from traditional virtue names among newer generations. While Caridad has never broken into the top 1,000 names nationally and has no single top state concentration, it remains a recognizable and phonetically straightforward choice among Spanish-speaking families, carrying a clear religious and cultural resonance.
Caridad is the Spanish form of the Latin 'caritas,' meaning 'charity' or 'dearness.' The name has been used in Spanish-speaking cultures since the medieval period, often in reference to the Virgin Mary under the title 'Nuestra Señora de la Caridad' (Our Lady of Charity). It gained popularity in the English-speaking world as a virtue name adopted by Catholic families, but it remains most strongly associated with Hispanic communities.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Cari, Dadi
Variants: Charity, Caritas
Sibling names for Caridad
Names that share Caridad's style, for a brother or sister.
