UK girl's name
Karley
A feminine variant of Charles, derived from the Germanic name Karl meaning "free man.".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2012. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Karley is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Karley popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2012 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4838, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 9 births.
This profile covers 80 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 1996 to 2012. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 44% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 109 living people in the UK are called Karley. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2013 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Karley ranked #4838 for girls in England and Wales in 2012, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 9 girls were registered as Karley.
- • Karley ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #358 in 1997.
- • About 109 living people in the UK are estimated to have Karley as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4838
2012
Births in 2012
4
Latest year
Peak year
1996
9 births
Estimated living
109
2026
Meaning
What does Karley mean?
The given name Karley is an English variant of the Germanic name Karl, which is derived from the Old Norse name Karlr. The name Karlr is thought to have originated from the Common Germanic word "kar-ala," meaning "free man" or "husband." This name was popular among the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, and it eventually spread across Europe during the Middle Ages.
The name Karley first appeared in England during the 12th century, when it was used as a diminutive form of the name Karl. It was initially more common as a surname, but it gradually gained popularity as a first name, particularly among the nobility and upper classes. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Karley was Karley de Beaumont, a Norman knight who fought in the Crusades in the late 12th century.
In the Middle Ages, the name Karley was sometimes associated with the cult of St. Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and the first Holy Roman Emperor. However, there is no direct connection between the names Karley and Charlemagne, as the latter's name was derived from the Germanic name Karlus.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Karley was Karley I, King of England from 1625 to 1649. He was a controversial figure who was eventually executed during the English Civil War. Another notable bearer of the name was Karley Dickens (1812-1870), the renowned English novelist and social critic who wrote classics such as "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations."
Other historical figures with the name Karley include Karley Lindbergh (1902-1974), the American aviator who became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, and Karley Chaplin (1889-1977), the English comic actor and filmmaker who is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema.
In more recent times, the name Karley has become more popular as a unisex name, although it is still more commonly given to boys. Some notable modern bearers of the name include Karley Rae Jepsen, a Canadian singer and songwriter, and Karley Kloss, an American fashion model and entrepreneur.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Karley over time
The chart below shows babies named Karley registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2012. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Karley, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2012, compared with 9 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karley by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Karley was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4801 | 8 | 2 |
| 2000s | #3145 | 46 | 8 |
| 1990s | #2385 | 26 | 4 |
Geography
Where Karley is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Karley. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Karley ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #358 in 1997.
Across the UK
Karley in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#583 in 2018
7 years of NRS records, 27 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#358 in 1997
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Karley
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Karley: questions and answers
How popular is the name Karley in the UK right now?
In 2012, Karley was ranked #4838 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Karley most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 9 babies registered as Karley in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Karley?
A feminine variant of Charles, derived from the Germanic name Karl meaning "free man.".
How many people are called Karley in the UK?
A total of 80 babies have been registered as Karley across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 27 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Karley most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Karley ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #358 in 1997. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.