girl's name
Darla
DAR-lah
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 45,166
the United States
#942
2025 births
Darla is a girl's name coined in twentieth-century America from the word darling. Its highest rank anywhere is now Ireland at 184th, well ahead of the United States at 942nd, so the country that invented it is no longer where it is most used.
- Darla is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1963, when 2,391 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 12,056 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1924.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Darla over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1920s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 33 |
| 1930s | 1,206 |
| 1940s | 4,229 |
| 1950s | 9,605 |
| 1960s | 16,356 |
| 1970s | 5,387 |
| 1980s | 1,996 |
| 1990s | 968 |
| 2000s | 1,059 |
| 2010s | 1,588 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,267 |
What Darla means
Darla means darling or dearly loved. It is built directly from the English endearment rather than from any older personal name, which makes it a word carried into naming rather than a name inherited from one.
Where Darla comes from
Darla is an American coinage of the early twentieth century, formed from darling with the -la ending that was productive in girls' names of the period and also produced Marla and Carla. It is often described as a short form of Darlene, but the dating runs the other way in our records: Darla appears from 1924 and behaves like a name built directly from the endearment. Its visibility owes a good deal to the Our Gang comedies of the 1930s, where Darla Hood played the lead girl, which is roughly when the name moves from rare to recorded in numbers.
Darla in use
Darla ranks 184th in Ireland on 25 births, its highest position in any market, ahead of Northern Ireland at 203rd, Scotland at 210th, England and Wales at 347th and the United States at 942nd. It peaked in the United States in 1963, when 2,391 babies were registered, and is reviving in our data across 45,166 lifetime births. An American coinage now ranking six times higher in Ireland than at home is an unusual reversal for a name of this kind.
How popular is Darla?
In 2025, Darla was given to 275 babies in the United States, ranking #942 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Darla is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Darla
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Darla also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Darla over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Darla
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Darla in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Darla
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Darla — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Darla
What does the name Darla mean?
Darling or dearly loved, built from the English endearment.
Is Darla short for Darlene?
It is often described that way, but our records carry Darla from 1924 and it behaves like a name formed directly from darling.
Where is Darla most popular?
Ireland, at 184th — well ahead of the United States at 942nd.
Is Darla a vintage name?
Yes. It peaked in 1963 and is reviving in our data.
Is Darla a girl's or a boy's name?
Darla is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Darla?
Darla has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Darla?
Darla is usually shortened to Dar.
Is Darla a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Darla currently ranks #184 in the United States. After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.