Holding steady.
Popularity of Carletha since 1928
Babies named Carletha per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1962, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Carletha's real moment was 1971.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 |
| 1930s | 0 |
| 1940s | 26 |
| 1950s | 115 |
| 1960s | 130 |
| 1970s | 118 |
| 1980s | 75 |
| 1990s | 19 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Carletha is a rare American coinage that first appeared in 1928, but gained modest traction in the 1970s, peaking in 1971. Like many names of its era, it reflects a trend of creating feminine forms from male names or blending existing names. The name is virtually unseen today, with no rank in recent years. Its trajectory remains stable on the fringes of usage. Carletha is almost exclusively used for girls and has no established variant forms beyond occasional spellings like Carlitha. While it never charted among the top 1000, it holds a distinct place among mid-century American inventions.
Carletha is a modern American coinage, first recorded in 1928. Its formation is unclear; it may be a feminine elaboration of the male name Carl, which itself derives from the Germanic element *karlaz* meaning 'free man'. Alternatively, it could be a blend of Carla (the feminine form of Carl) with the Greek-derived name Alethea, meaning 'truth'. The name saw its peak usage in the 1970s, consistent with the era's trend of inventive feminine names ending in -tha.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Carla, Carrie
Variants: Carlitha
Sibling names for Carletha
Names that share Carletha's style, for a brother or sister.
