Cari
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KA-ree
- Origin
- Welsh
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,101 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #9,454 for girls
Cari is a girls' name of Welsh origin, meaning “love”. In 2025 it ranked 3,101st for girls in the UK (8 babies) and 9,454th for girls in the US (10 babies).
What does Cari mean?
Welsh: from Welsh caru, to love; also a short form of Caroline
“love”
Related to the Welsh word cariad, meaning love or darling.
Is Cari a girl's or a boy's name?
Cari is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 8 girls in the UK and 10 girls and 6 boys in the US.
How popular is Cari in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,101among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 8about 1 in 35,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 8 girls in the UK were named Cari, making it the 3,101st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,046th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 35 girls.
2025 had the fewest girls named Cari since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Cari in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2015. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 19 girls in the UK were given Cari or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,417, up from #3,101 for this spelling alone.
- Carrie 11
- Cari 8
Among girls in 2025, it was 3,033rd in England and Wales.
Cari in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | #3,101 |
| 2024 | 12 | #2,323 |
| 2023 | 17 | #1,798 |
| 2022 | 12 | #2,277 |
| 2021 | 11 | #2,478 |
| 2020 | 14 | #2,046 |
| 2019 | 12 | #2,275 |
| 2018 | 15 | #2,000 |
| 2017 | 16 | #1,913 |
| 2016 | 11 | #2,510 |
| 2015 | 17 | #1,813 |
| 2014 | 17 | #1,810 |
| 2013 | 16 | #1,874 |
| 2012 | 27 | #1,293 |
| 2011 | 17 | #1,755 |
| 2010 | 27 | #1,262 |
| 2009 | 28 | #1,179 |
| 2008 | 32 | #1,034 |
| 2007 | 35 | #941 |
| 2006 | 23 | #1,229 |
| 2005 | 28 | #1,004 |
| 2004 | 18 | #1,342 |
| 2003 | 13 | #1,649 |
| 2002 | 23 | #1,053 |
| 2001 | 15 | #1,398 |
| 2000 | 11 | #1,689 |
| 1999 | 19 | #1,149 |
| 1998 | 16 | #1,289 |
| 1997 | 19 | #1,119 |
| 1996 | 13 | #1,450 |
How popular is Cari in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #9,454among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 10about 1 in 160,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 27% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 10 girls in the US were named Cari, making it the 9,454th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,451st. Its busiest year was 1976, with 541 girls. It first appears in the records in 1941. 6 boys were also named Cari in 2025 (10,690th for boys).
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Cari than any year since 1950.
Half of all the girls named Cari in the US since 1880 were born between 1969 and 1985, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 261 girls in the US were given Cari or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #906, up from #9,454 for this spelling alone.
In 2023, 77% of the babies named Cari in the US were girls.
Cari in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | #9,454 |
| 2024 | 21 | #5,796 |
| 2023 | 27 | #4,870 |
| 2022 | 38 | #3,891 |
| 2021 | 36 | #4,011 |
| 2020 | 30 | #4,451 |
| 2019 | 22 | #5,608 |
| 2018 | 27 | #4,886 |
| 2017 | 27 | #4,920 |
| 2016 | 21 | #5,983 |
| 2015 | 26 | #5,125 |
| 2014 | 21 | #5,991 |
| 2013 | 30 | #4,643 |
| 2012 | 27 | #5,112 |
| 2011 | 30 | #4,680 |
| 2010 | 21 | #6,180 |
| 2009 | 12 | #9,375 |
| 2008 | 25 | #5,571 |
| 2007 | 21 | #6,319 |
| 2006 | 17 | #7,140 |
| 2005 | 22 | #5,595 |
| 2004 | 24 | #5,204 |
| 2003 | 34 | #3,942 |
| 2002 | 21 | #5,440 |
| 2001 | 37 | #3,545 |
| 2000 | 46 | #3,016 |
| 1999 | 56 | #2,524 |
| 1998 | 61 | #2,304 |
| 1997 | 69 | #2,042 |
| 1996 | 99 | #1,575 |
| 1995 | 104 | #1,504 |
| 1994 | 171 | #1,059 |
| 1993 | 169 | #1,076 |
| 1992 | 154 | #1,144 |
| 1991 | 182 | #1,009 |
| 1990 | 195 | #960 |
| 1989 | 239 | #793 |
| 1988 | 280 | #685 |
| 1987 | 273 | #676 |
| 1986 | 258 | #702 |
| 1985 | 274 | #660 |
| 1984 | 278 | #633 |
| 1983 | 297 | #597 |
| 1982 | 396 | #508 |
| 1981 | 480 | #447 |
| 1980 | 293 | #621 |
| 1979 | 348 | #539 |
| 1978 | 421 | #469 |
| 1977 | 466 | #439 |
| 1976 | 541 | #379 |
| 1975 | 519 | #393 |
| 1974 | 477 | #414 |
| 1973 | 407 | #451 |
| 1972 | 387 | #469 |
| 1971 | 436 | #463 |
| 1970 | 430 | #473 |
| 1969 | 420 | #470 |
| 1968 | 405 | #477 |
| 1967 | 326 | #522 |
| 1966 | 256 | #592 |
| 1965 | 226 | #653 |
| 1964 | 261 | #628 |
| 1963 | 242 | #649 |
| 1962 | 235 | #664 |
| 1961 | 196 | #742 |
| 1960 | 189 | #740 |
| 1959 | 159 | #811 |
| 1958 | 106 | #1,006 |
| 1957 | 95 | #1,066 |
| 1956 | 67 | #1,271 |
| 1955 | 36 | #1,732 |
| 1954 | 27 | #2,026 |
| 1953 | 21 | #2,300 |
| 1952 | 17 | #2,580 |
| 1951 | 14 | #2,809 |
| 1950 | 5 | #5,299 |
| 1949 | 11 | #3,175 |
| 1948 | 5 | #5,241 |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 5 | #4,418 |
Names like Cari
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Heidi Erin Darcie Cara Holly Ffion Lara Amber Joni Marnie Jessica Molly
Other spellings of Cari
Names related to Cari
More Welsh names
Dylan Owen Winnie Maddox Morgan Idris Reese Bowen Griffin Rhys Gavin Reece Nia Seren Gwendolyn Winifred
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cari: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cari, updated 20 October 2026.