Carla is the feminine form of Carlo and Carl, which go back to the Germanic word karl, "free man", so the name is usually rendered as "free woman". It is a classic in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany, and in the United States it is most common in Hispanic and Italian American families. Carla ranked number 404 in 2000 and peaked at number 386 in 2002, but it has slipped since and sits at number 1083 in 2025, just outside the top 1000.