Carmen

Carmen - A very unique male name

Carmen appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #371. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Carmen and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Carmen? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Carmen. The baby boy name Carmen was given to 65 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1529 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 22,558 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Carmen peaked in popularity 98 years ago in 1928 on position 303.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Carmen, 1-5?

Carmen is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Carmen is currently topping the baby name charts in Pennsylvania at position #749 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,329.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Carmen is where you live.

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Carmen origin and meaning

Hebrew, via Mount Carmel

From Mount Carmel, from Hebrew karmel, 'garden, orchard'

Carmen is overwhelmingly a girls' name in the United States, but it has a long, smaller history for boys, especially in Spanish- and Italian-influenced use, recorded since 1910 and peaking in 1924. Its recent rise for boys comes from a very low base.

Attested etymology

Carmen is a 6 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Carmen, pop culture references for the name Carmen and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Carmen

We've found the following names that sound similar to Carmen, sorted by popularity.

Carmine / Ciaran / Corwin / Curren / Caron / Curran / Carmon / Carmino / Carman / Corin /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Carmen

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Carmen a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Carmen?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

KAHR-men · /ˈkɑːr.mən/

Around the world

• Carmen (Spanish) — Used as-is in Spanish for girls, with Carmelo the usual male form
• Carmine (Italian) — The traditional Italian male form

Spellings and nicknames

• Carmine — The Italian male form, a separate established name

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

International

Why parents choose it

Parents choosing Carmen for a boy are usually drawing on family or Spanish and Italian heritage where male use is familiar.

Worth knowing

• In the U.S. Carmen is widely assumed to be a girls' name