Karma
- Gender
- Mostly girls
- Say it
- KAR-muh
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- UK rank, 2025
- #4,276 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #1,703 for girls
Karma is a name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “action; deed”. In 2025 it ranked 4,276th for girls in the UK (5 babies) and 1,703rd for girls in the US (120 babies).
What does Karma mean?
Sanskrit: Sanskrit word, also a Tibetan given name
“action; deed”
From the Sanskrit word for action, the principle in Hinduism and Buddhism that deeds shape future lives.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Karma a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Karma has been given to girls and boys, mostly girls. In 2025, it was given to 5 girls and 4 boys in the UK and 120 girls and 15 boys in the US.
How popular is Karma in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,276among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 5about 1 in 56,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 33% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 5 girls in the UK were named Karma, making it the 4,276th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,630th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 13 girls. 4 boys were also named Karma in 2025 (4,301st for boys).
Half of all the girls named Karma in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2022, 64% of the babies named Karma in the UK were girls.
Among girls in 2025, it was 4,200th in England and Wales.
Karma in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #4,276 |
| 2024 | 4 | #4,907 |
| 2023 | 3 | #5,929 |
| 2022 | 7 | #3,347 |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,864 |
| 2020 | 6 | #3,630 |
| 2019 | 5 | #4,214 |
| 2018 | 7 | #3,344 |
| 2017 | 5 | #4,250 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 9 | #2,855 |
| 2014 | 3 | #5,920 |
| 2013 | 7 | #3,338 |
| 2012 | 9 | #2,887 |
| 2011 | 5 | #4,244 |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,715 |
| 2009 | 9 | #2,695 |
| 2008 | 6 | #3,589 |
| 2007 | 13 | #1,964 |
| 2006 | 9 | #2,451 |
| 2005 | 3 | #4,976 |
| 2004 | 5 | #3,356 |
| 2003 | 4 | #3,768 |
| 2002 | 4 | #3,556 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 5 | #2,907 |
| 1999 | 4 | #3,374 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 4 | #3,345 |
How popular is Karma in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,703among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 120about 1 in 13,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 19% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 120 girls in the US were named Karma, making it the 1,703rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,183rd. Its busiest year was 2009, with 375 girls. It first appears in the records in 1915. 15 boys were also named Karma in 2025 (5,859th for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Karma than any year since 2004.
Half of all the girls named Karma in the US since 1880 were born between 1983 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 132 girls in the US were given Karma or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,393, up from #1,703 for this spelling alone.
Karma in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 120 | #1,703 |
| 2024 | 150 | #1,457 |
| 2023 | 199 | #1,202 |
| 2022 | 177 | #1,325 |
| 2021 | 174 | #1,301 |
| 2020 | 196 | #1,183 |
| 2019 | 194 | #1,203 |
| 2018 | 191 | #1,223 |
| 2017 | 210 | #1,172 |
| 2016 | 204 | #1,210 |
| 2015 | 214 | #1,175 |
| 2014 | 254 | #1,026 |
| 2013 | 263 | #959 |
| 2012 | 291 | #901 |
| 2011 | 258 | #988 |
| 2010 | 297 | #892 |
| 2009 | 375 | #760 |
| 2008 | 333 | #845 |
| 2007 | 325 | #862 |
| 2006 | 313 | #855 |
| 2005 | 298 | #847 |
| 2004 | 94 | #1,971 |
| 2003 | 58 | #2,704 |
| 2002 | 61 | #2,551 |
| 2001 | 71 | #2,255 |
| 2000 | 56 | #2,628 |
| 1999 | 40 | #3,185 |
| 1998 | 33 | #3,570 |
| 1997 | 30 | #3,713 |
| 1996 | 10 | #8,127 |
| 1995 | 12 | #7,036 |
| 1994 | 23 | #4,371 |
| 1993 | 15 | #5,949 |
| 1992 | 15 | #6,001 |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 8 | #9,241 |
| 1989 | 15 | #5,539 |
| 1988 | 14 | #5,593 |
| 1987 | 13 | #5,608 |
| 1986 | 14 | #5,185 |
| 1985 | 15 | #4,858 |
| 1984 | 26 | #3,232 |
| 1983 | 40 | #2,359 |
| 1982 | 18 | #4,166 |
| 1981 | 34 | #2,657 |
| 1980 | 31 | #2,866 |
| 1979 | 40 | #2,343 |
| 1978 | 39 | #2,305 |
| 1977 | 47 | #2,026 |
| 1976 | 48 | #1,883 |
| 1975 | 47 | #1,906 |
| 1974 | 71 | #1,428 |
| 1973 | 78 | #1,302 |
| 1972 | 65 | #1,473 |
| 1971 | 77 | #1,376 |
| 1970 | 66 | #1,505 |
| 1969 | 30 | #2,350 |
| 1968 | 33 | #2,091 |
| 1967 | 30 | #2,167 |
| 1966 | 31 | #2,093 |
| 1965 | 35 | #1,950 |
| 1964 | 29 | #2,245 |
| 1963 | 40 | #1,838 |
| 1962 | 42 | #1,756 |
| 1961 | 40 | #1,806 |
| 1960 | 26 | #2,306 |
| 1959 | 47 | #1,584 |
| 1958 | 54 | #1,447 |
| 1957 | 50 | #1,506 |
| 1956 | 34 | #1,834 |
| 1955 | 31 | #1,906 |
| 1954 | 24 | #2,185 |
| 1953 | 37 | #1,621 |
| 1952 | 24 | #2,073 |
| 1951 | 16 | #2,576 |
| 1950 | 27 | #1,834 |
| 1949 | 31 | #1,696 |
| 1948 | 24 | #1,952 |
| 1947 | 21 | #2,145 |
| 1946 | 33 | #1,531 |
| 1945 | 16 | #2,148 |
| 1944 | 26 | #1,608 |
| 1943 | 24 | #1,750 |
| 1942 | 20 | #1,916 |
| 1941 | 14 | #2,271 |
| 1940 | 23 | #1,635 |
| 1939 | 23 | #1,585 |
| 1938 | 24 | #1,547 |
| 1937 | 18 | #1,845 |
| 1936 | 19 | #1,741 |
| 1935 | 13 | #2,304 |
| 1934 | 18 | #1,834 |
| 1933 | 18 | #1,835 |
| 1932 | 19 | #1,816 |
| 1931 | 21 | #1,685 |
| 1930 | 12 | #2,551 |
| 1929 | 11 | #2,736 |
| 1928 | 23 | #1,737 |
| 1927 | 9 | #3,282 |
| 1926 | 7 | #3,872 |
| 1925 | 15 | #2,377 |
| 1924 | 7 | #4,000 |
| 1923 | 8 | #3,640 |
| 1922 | 16 | #2,291 |
| 1921 | 8 | #3,665 |
| 1920 | 9 | #3,339 |
| 1919 | 11 | #2,812 |
| 1918 | 0 | – |
| 1917 | 6 | #4,081 |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 6 | #3,793 |
Names like Karma
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Myla Zara Lyla Ava Mila Fatima Lyra Isla Mia Freya Nyla Athena
Other spellings of Karma
Names related to Karma
Kareem Karim Karam Karima Kareema Karimah Karime Karyme Carma
More Sanskrit names
Maya Bodhi Arya Lila Arjun Aarav Rohan Kali Aryan Opal Arjan Vihaan Aadhya Avyaan Ishaan Siya
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, “Karma: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/karma, updated 20 October 2026.