Name Awesome

Carlisle

#3,255 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Fort

Carlisle has been given to 2,329 babies in the U.S. since 1888. In 2025 it ranked #3,255 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2012, with 47 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 80% boys, 20% girls all-time.

Babies named Carlisle, 2025

1 in 92,100

Carlisle over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
020406018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Carlisle over time

In 2025, Carlisle went to 20% girls and 80% boys.

18882025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Carlisle: meaning, origin, and history

Fort

Deeper origin not confirmed in the cited records

What Carlisle means

Carlisle means “fort”, associated with kaɨr.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Middle English Carlele, from Middle English Carleol, Carleul, from Cumbric [Term?] (compare Caer Ligualid in the Historia Brittonum, Middle Welsh Caer Liwelydd, Welsh Caerliwelydd, all suffixed with -ydd), composed of Proto-Brythonic *kaɨr (“fort”) + Proto-Brythonic [Term?] (> Latin Luguvalium), from Proto-Celtic *Luguwalos (personal name, literally “strength of Lugus”), from *Lugus + *walos (“strength”). The absence of a suffix comparable to Welsh -ydd in the underlying Cumbric form is unexplained; see w:Cumbric/Absence of -ydd.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Carlisle (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Carlisle is used in English.

Carlisle comes through Middle English Carlele, Middle English Carleol, Proto-Brythonic *kaɨr and Proto-Celtic *Luguwalos.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Carlisle is pronounced /kɑːɹˈlaɪl/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 1,862 boys were recorded with the name Carlisle between 1888 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 47 in 2012; its best national rank was #623 in 1893.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #2,935 in 2020 to #3,255 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #3,240 in 2015 to #3,255 in 2025.

In the United States, 467 girls were recorded with the name Carlisle between 1944 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 21 in 2010; its best national rank was #4,120 in 1944.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #6,983 in 2020 to #10,252 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #8,086 in 2015 to #10,252 in 2025.

How common is Carlisle?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 92,100
36 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 47,400
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#3,255
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
63,832 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Carlisle sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 63,832 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Carlisle. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Carlisles were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Carlisle was born before 1962 — so the typical Carlisle is around 63 today.

Median birth year
1962
About 63 years old
Biggest decade
2010s
19.6% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
34.3%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
1,057
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2010s — 19.6% of all recorded uses (365).

Is Carlisle rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+24
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
−320
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−15
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
1.03×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
76.6%
Peak was 2012 (47)
Years since peak
13
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Volatile
33.5% average annual change
Best rank ever
#623
1893

Spellings of Carlisle

Carlisle is not the most common spelling — Carlyle is, with 46.8% against Carlisle's 22.6%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Carlisle is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Carlisle was most concentrated in South Carolina — about 1 in 16,667 boys, against 1 in 321,835 across all states with data. It was least common in Virginia (1 in —).

06 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1South Carolina1 in 16,667
  2. 2California1 in —
  3. 3North Carolina1 in —
  4. 4New York1 in —
  5. 5Pennsylvania1 in —
  6. 6Tennessee1 in —
  7. 7Texas1 in —
  8. 8Virginia1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Carlisle has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Where Carlisle is used — girls

Across 1910–2025, Carlisle was most concentrated in North Carolina — about 1 in — girls, against 1 in 1,539,805 across all states with data. It was least common in Texas (1 in —).

00 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1North Carolina1 in —
  2. 2Texas1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Carlisle has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Carlisle around the world

Where Carlisle ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    2010–2021
    #3,017
    in 2021
  • France
    2013–2013
    #3,742
    in 2013
  • Canada
    2013–2022
    #1,972
    in 2022
  • South Australia
    1959–1990
    #357
    in 1990

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Carlisle by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#3,255
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 320
Best rank ever
#623
1893
Peak year
2012
47 that year
First recorded
1888
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
1,862
Count in 2025
36

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#10,252
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 3,269
Best rank ever
#4,120
1944
Peak year
2010
21 that year
First recorded
1944
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
467
Count in 2025
9

Names similar to Carlisle

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

CarmelloCarstenCardellCartierCarlitoCarlitosCarlyleCarringtonCarsynCarnellCarlsonCarmelCarlinCarrickCarverCarolynCarletonCarsenCarlysleCarmeloCarmineCaronCardenCarder

Sibling names for Carlisle

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Carlisle

Top names of 2012, Carlisle's peak yearThe 2010s in fullOther names that peaked in 1893Boys' names starting with C