Carmella is an English spelling of the Italian Carmela, which honors Our Lady of Mount Carmel; Carmel is a Hebrew place name meaning "garden" or "vineyard of God". The name came to the United States with Italian immigrants and has kept a warm, family feel ever since. Carmella stood at number 2953 in 2000 and has slowly gained ground, reaching number 1285 in 2025, its best rank in this period.