Carmen

Updated: October 5, 2023 by MomsWhoThink Staff

Carmen is a name that feels tropical and full of life. It comes from Spanish culture, originated around the time of the Middle Ages. Carmen is still a top 500 name in America, and has been on the Social Security Popularity Index since the beginning.

Meaning of the Name Carmen

The baby name Carmen was created during Medieval times and means poem. It was the Spanish version of the name Carmel, which comes from the Hebrew word “karmel” meaning “garden.” “Karmel” was actually a mountain in ancient Israel. The baby name and mountain name may have received influence, however, from the Latin word “carmen” which means “song.”

Carmen could mean “garden” if you focus on the Mountain Karmel that the name originates from. If focusing on the influence of the Latin word that is actually “carmen,” however, it means “song” or “poem.”

Nicknames for Carmen

Carmen feels flavorful, tropical, and international. It is full of life, extravagant, and even feisty and deserves a proper nickname to accompany it. Below, we've compiled a list of nicknames to help get you inspired:

Car car
Carm
Cammie
Cammy
Cami
Carms
Memmy
Car
Army
Armen

Carmen Name Details

Style: Traditional

Gender: Neutral

Pronunciation: KAHR-men

Syllables: Two

Alternative Spelling for Carmen

Karmen
Carmyn
Carmin
Karmin
Karmyn

Carmen Name Popularity

The baby name Carmen has been on the top 200 list from 1927 to 1930, 1936, 1941, and from 1949 to 1981. Throughout most of the last century, it has been a top 300 name. In recent years, Carmen is a top 500 name, however, and in 2020, it ranked at 433.