Carley vs Ava
How Carley and Ava compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
Carley
Female · English
Meaning: "A Free Person. A Feminine Form Of Charles, Also See Carla, Carol And Caroline."
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Carley (girls) vs Ava (girls), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Carley | Ava |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 2000 — 687 girls | 2007 — 18,053 girls |
| Peak rank | #411 | #4 |
| Most recent rank (2013) | #882 (293 births) | #11 (7,732 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 6,800 | 323,669 |
| Last 10 years (2004–2013) | 4,397 | 125,221 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Ava reached 18,053 US births in 2007 — 17,366 more than Carley's peak count.
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
Carley — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | #526 | 17 |
| 2 | Arkansas | #554 | 16 |
| 3 | Louisiana | #683 | 28 |
| 4 | Alabama | #750 | 29 |
| 5 | Missouri | #826 | 26 |
Ava — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | #1 | 1,585 |
| 2 | Georgia | #2 | 4,911 |
| 3 | Alabama | #2 | 2,308 |
| 4 | South Carolina | #3 | 2,038 |
| 5 | North Carolina | #3 | 4,560 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →