Caresse
A feminine French name meaning "caress" or "gentle fondling with the hands".
Name Census estimates that about 317 living Americans carry the first name Caresse. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Caresse today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caresse births was 1987 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caresse. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
317
~ 1 in 1,081,244 Americans
Peak year
1987
40 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2006 SSA rank
#15,491
Tracked since 1949
Census
Caresse in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 371 people with the first name Caresse, which placed it at #25,534 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#25,534
National first-name rank
People counted
371
371 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caresse
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Caresse is White at 46.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Hispanic (11.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Caresse described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Caresse at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.1% · 171
- Black or African American26.7% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino11.9% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.6% · 32
- Two or more races6.7% · 25
Popularity
Caresse: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caresse from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 147 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caresse by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caresse during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Caresses live
Origin
Meaning and history of Caresse
The given name Caresse finds its origins in the French language, derived from the verb "caresser," which means "to caress" or "to stroke gently." The name was likely coined during the Middle Ages or Renaissance period in France, reflecting the romantic and affectionate connotations associated with the word.
In its earliest known usage, the name Caresse appeared in French literature and poetry, often as a symbolic representation of tenderness and affection. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 16th-century poetry collection "Les Amours" by Pierre de Ronsard, where he uses the name metaphorically to describe a lover's gentle touch.
Throughout history, the name Caresse has been borne by several notable individuals, though its popularity has remained relatively limited. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Caresse Crosby (1891-1970), an American poet, publisher, and patron of the arts, known for her involvement in the avant-garde literary movement.
Another notable figure was Caresse Garner (1908-1993), an American painter and sculptor, whose works are featured in various museums and galleries across the United States. She was particularly known for her abstract expressionist paintings and her use of vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes.
In the realm of literature, Caresse Benedetti (1922-2005) was an Italian writer and journalist, best known for her novel "La vendemmia" (The Grape Harvest), which explored themes of family, tradition, and rural life in Italy.
Moving to the world of fashion, Caresse Musson (1901-1992) was a French fashion designer and couturier, renowned for her elegant and sophisticated creations. She dressed many high-profile clients, including members of the French aristocracy and international celebrities.
Lastly, Caresse Holton (1884-1977) was an American philanthropist and socialite, known for her support of various artistic and cultural organizations. She played a significant role in the establishment of the Holton Arm Gallery in Washington, D.C., which showcased works by emerging artists.
While not a widely popular name, Caresse has maintained a niche presence throughout history, often associated with artistic, literary, and creative circles. Its French origins and the delicate, affectionate connotations it carries have contributed to its unique and distinctive character.
People
Caresse + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caresse as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caresse: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caresse?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 317 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caresse going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,081,244 US residents.
Is Caresse a common name?
We classify Caresse as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 338 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caresse most popular?
The single biggest year for Caresse was 1987, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caresse is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Caresse in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 371 people with the name Caresse, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,534 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Caresse in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Caresse?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Caresse appears almost entirely female. Of the 372 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Caresse?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Caresse is White at 46.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Hispanic (11.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Caresse most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Caresse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.1% (171 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Caresse in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Caresse a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caresse in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Caresse still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Caresse in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Caresse can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Caresse?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.