Carlean
Feminine
Carlean is a mid-century American name built on Carl or Carleen. Said aloud it is almost Caerleon, a Welsh town that was a Roman legion's fortress and, in medieval legend, King Arthur's court.
How old is the name Carlean?
Carlean first appears in US birth records in 1910 — 115 years ago. The typical Carlean alive today was born around 1943, making them about 82 years old. About 300 people named Carlean are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Carlean most popular?
Carlean peaked in 1940, reaching #1900 nationally. See the whole 1940 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Carlean
At Caerleon in south Wales the Romans built Isca, a fortress for the Second Legion, and its amphitheater still stands; the Welsh name means 'fortress of the legion'. Geoffrey of Monmouth made Caerleon one of King Arthur's courts, and Tennyson stayed there while writing his Idylls of the King. Carlean was not named for it; it came from Carl and Carleen. But it shares the sound of a place where history and legend meet.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Carlean may be Carleen respelled or Carl with an ending, and nothing records which. It is not documented as related to Caerleon.
Pronouncing Carlean
kar-LEEN
Two syllables with the stress on the second.
Nicknames for Carlean
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1910
- Most girls named
- 195221 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1900reached in 1940
- Change vs 1974
- +20.0%6 in 1976, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Carleans among us
people named Carlean are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Carlean sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Close to Carleen, a familiar name.
- Easy to say.
- Rare, so a Carlean is unlikely to share her name.
- People will write Carleen or Carlene.
- It reads as a mid-century name.
- It has no documented meaning of its own.
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Carlean
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Carleans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Carlean are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Carlean in 2025?
- Carlean is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Carlean with classmates?
- Carlean will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More C names
The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.
Carol#2239 · Cynthia#1013 · Catherine#313 · Christine#1272 · Carolyn#1222 · Christina#770 · Charlotte#2 · Cheryl#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Carlean? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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