Fun Facts About the Name Karmela
- 219 babies named Karmela: U.S. records list 219 babies given the name Karmela from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Karmela Mean?
Karmela is a feminine name derived from the Hebrew place name Karmel (כַּרְמֶל), whose literal sense is "garden," "orchard," or "fruitful field." It is a variant of Carmela, the feminine form of Italian and Spanish Carmelo, which comes from Latin Carmelus, from Greek Karmēlos, a rendering of the Hebrew name. The Hebrew noun karmel refers to cultivated land, especially a garden or orchard; it is not a compound of kerem (vineyard) and El (God), although that derivation is sometimes given as a symbolic interpretation, yielding "vineyard of God." The initial K in Karmela reflects the spelling used in Croatian, Slovenian, and some other European languages, while the name ultimately shares the same origin as Carmela. It is not related to the Latin word carmen ("song"), which is one source of the separate name Carmen.
Karmela Name History & Origins
The Hebrew Bible uses Karmel for a mountain range in northern Israel, the setting for the prophet Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. The place name passed into Greek as Karmēlos and into Latin as Carmelus. From the Latin form, Italian developed the masculine Carmelo and the feminine Carmela; Spanish also uses Carmela. The spelling Karmela belongs to the same lineage but follows orthographic conventions of Croatian, Slovenian, and other Slavic languages, where K is the usual letter for the initial sound.
In Catholic Europe, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a title of Mary associated with the Carmelite order, is part of the religious context in which Carmel- and Carmela-type names spread. The Carmelite order began on Mount Carmel in the twelfth century. Karmela is used as a given name in Croatia and Slovenia and has been carried to other countries by speakers of those languages. In English-speaking countries, it appears as a variant of Carmela rather than as a distinct traditional English name.
How Popular is the Name Karmela?
Karmela has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2019. Its best rank was #6,967 in 1965.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,403 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #9,202 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #9,289 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #8,269 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #8,660 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #7,527 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #10,992 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #11,134 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #11,310 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #9,215 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #8,714 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #9,308 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #11,735 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #12,745 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #15,952 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #9,135 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #12,097 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #9,276 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #15,429 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #15,072 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #17,020 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #7,255 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #6,967 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Karmela Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Karmela's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Karmela's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.