Karisma
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "a gift from God".
Name Census estimates that about 2,082 living Americans carry the first name Karisma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Karisma today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karisma births was 2006 (86 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karisma. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Karisma with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 164,627 Americans
Peak year
2006
86 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,810
Tracked since 1970
Census
Karisma in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,596 people with the first name Karisma, which placed it at #8,916 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
#8,916
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,596 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
37.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karisma
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karisma is Black at 37.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.8%) and White (14.5%). 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 Karisma 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 Karisma at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American37.0% · 590
- Hispanic or Latino32.8% · 524
- White14.5% · 231
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.2% · 131
- Two or more races6.6% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 14
Popularity
Karisma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karisma from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 755 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karisma 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 Karisma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karismas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Karisma, while Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 64 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Karisma
The name Karisma has its origins in the Greek language and culture. It is derived from the Greek word "charisma," which means "divine gift" or "favor bestowed by God." The name carries a sense of charm, grace, and charismatic presence.
Interestingly, the word "charisma" itself has roots in the ancient Greek word "charis," meaning "grace" or "kindness." This suggests that the name Karisma is deeply connected to the concept of being gracious, kind, and possessing an attractive or magnetic personality.
While the name Karisma does not appear to have any direct references in ancient Greek texts or religious scriptures, its connection to the concept of charisma can be traced back to the writings of early Christian philosophers and theologians.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Karisma can be found in the late 16th century, when it was used as a feminine variant of the name Charisma. However, it was not until the 20th century that the name gained significant popularity.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Karisma. One such person was Karisma Kapoor, an Indian actress born in 1974, who starred in numerous Bollywood films and gained widespread acclaim for her performances.
Another famous Karisma was Karisma Marquez, a Colombian model and actress born in 1982, known for her work in telenovelas and as a presenter on various television shows.
In the world of sports, Karisma Williams, born in 1989, was a Jamaican sprinter who competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, specializing in the 100-meter and 200-meter events.
Karisma Bechter, born in 1984, was a German competitive swimmer who participated in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, earning multiple medals in various swimming events.
Lastly, Karisma Chandokeir, born in 1992, is a British actress best known for her role in the television series "Grange Hill" and her work in various theater productions.
These individuals, spanning different eras and fields, have all contributed to the rich history and legacy of the name Karisma, reinforcing its association with charm, grace, and notable accomplishments.
People
Karisma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karisma as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karisma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karisma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,082 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karisma 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 164,627 US residents.
Is Karisma a common name?
We classify Karisma as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,122 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karisma most popular?
The single biggest year for Karisma was 2006, when 86 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karisma is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Karisma in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,596 people with the name Karisma, or 0.53 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,916 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 Karisma 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 Karisma?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Karisma appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,589 people counted with this name, 99.8% 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 Karisma?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karisma is Black at 37.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.8%) and White (14.5%). 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 Karisma most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Karisma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 37.0% (590 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 Karisma in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Karisma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karisma 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 Karisma still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Karisma 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 Karisma 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 people are called Karisma?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.