Carla is the feminized version of Carl, Carlos or Charles, from ceorl in Old English, which means "free man".[1]
Notable people with the name include:
- Carla Lazzari (born 2005), French singer and former member of the children's music group Kids United
- Carla Abellana (born 1986), Filipina actress and commercial model
- Carla Angola, Venezuelan journalist and television presenter
- Carla Azar, drummer and singer for the band Autolux
- Carla Baratta, (born 1990), Venezuelan actress, model, and artist.
- Carla Barbarella, (born 1940), Italian politician
- Carla Barbarino (born 1967), retired Italian sprinter and hurdler
- Carla Beck, Canadian politician
- Carla Berrocal (born 1983), Spanish comics illustrator
- Carla Berube (born 1975), American college basketball coach
- Carla Beurskens (born 1952), prominent long-distance runner from the Netherlands
- Carla Blank, American choreographer, writer, and editor
- Carla Bley (1936–2023), American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader
- Carla Bonner (born 1973), Australian actress
- Carla Borrego (born 1983), Jamaican basketball and netball player
- Carla Boyce (born 1998), Scottish footballer
- Carla Boyd (born 1975), retired Australian basketball player with 2 Olympic medals
- Carla Bozulich (born 1965), lead singer, lyricist and founder of The Geraldine Fibbers
- Carla Bruni (born 1967), Italian-French singer, songwriter and former model
- Carla Cassidy, American romance novelist
- Carla Koplin Cohn, American secretary, personal assistant to Hank Aaron, Baseball Hall of Fame player.
- Carla Cook, jazz vocalist
- Carla Cortijo (born 1987), Puerto Rican basketball player
- Carla Cotwright-Williams (born 1973), African-American mathematician
- Carla Couto (born 1974), Portuguese football striker
- Carla Cunningham (born 1963), American politician
- Carla Del Poggio (1925–2010), Italian cinema, theatre, and television actress
- Carla Del Ponte (born 1947), Chief Prosecutor at two United Nations international criminal law tribunals
- Carla Duff, Brazilian waxer
- Carla Dunlap (born 1954), American bodybuilding champion.
- Carla Dziwoki (born 1982), Australian netball player
- Carla J. Easton, Scottish singer-songwriter
- Carla Emery DeLong (1939–2005), American author
- Carla Estrada (born 1956), Latin American telenovela producer
- Carla Fracci (1936–2021), ballet dancer and actress
- Carla Gallardo (born 1999), Spanish long-distance runner
- Carla Garapedian (born 1961), documentary filmmaker
- Carla Gavazzi (1913–2008), Italian operatic soprano
- Carla Geurts (born 1971), freestyle swimmer
- Carla Giuliano (born 1983), Italian politician
- Carla Gravina (born 1941), Italian film actress
- Carla Gugino (born 1971), American actress
- Carla Hall (born 1964), American chef
- Carla Harryman (born 1952), American poet, essayist, and playwright
- Carla Anderson Hills (born 1934), American lawyer
- Carla Howell, President of the Center For Small Government
- Carla Humphries (born 1988), commercial model and actress in the Philippines
- Carla Jimenez (born 1974), American television and film actress
- Carla Kelly, American romance writer
- Carla Khan (born 1981), Pakistan squash player
- Carla Kihlstedt, American violinist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist
- Carla Körbes, Brazilian ballet dancer
- Carla Laemmle (1909–2014), American actress
- Carla Lane (1928–2016), pseudonym of Romana Barrack, an English television writer
- Carla Lehmann (1917–1990), Canadian film and television actress
- Carla Lockhart (born 1985), British politician
- Carla MacLeod (born 1982), retired Canadian national women's hockey player
- Carla Marins (born 1968), Brazilian actress
- Carla McGhee (born 1968), American basketball player
- Carla Speed McNeil (born 1969), American science fiction writer, cartoonist, and illustrator
- Carla Mendonça (born 1964), English actress
- Carla Molema (born 1988), Dutch darts player
- Carla Moreno (born 1976), Brazilian triathlete
- Carla Morrison (born 1986), Mexican singer, songwriter and guitarist
- Carla Nunes, Brazilian footballer
- Carla Overbeck (born 1968), American soccer player
- Carla Padilla (born 1988), Bolivian footballer
- Carla Padilla Ramos (born 1969), Mexican politician
- Carla Qualtrough (born 1971), Canadian politician and former paralympian
- Carla Quevedo (born 1988), Argentinian actress and designer
- Carla Quint (born 1972), Dutch water polo player
- Carla Rahal, Bulgarian actress
- Carla Rebecchi (born 1984), Olympic bronze medalist in field hockey
- Carla Rhodes (born 1982), American ventriloquist, comedian and musician
- Carla Rueda Cotito (born 1990), Peruvian volleyball player
- Carla Ruocco (born 1973), Italian politician
- Carla Ryan (born 1985), professional cyclist from Australia
- Carla Sacramento (born 1971), middle distance runner from Portugal
- Carla J. Shatz, American neurobiologist
- Carla Shibley, Canadian para-cyclist
- Carla Maria da Silva, Brazilian footballer
- Carla Sozzani, Italian art dealer
- Carla Stovall (born 1957), politician and former Attorney General of Kansas
- Carla Suárez Navarro (born 1988), Spanish tennis player
- Carla Swart (1987–2011), South African cyclist
- Carla Thomas (born 1942), Queen of Memphis Soul
- Carla Tuzzi (born 1967), retired Italian hurdler
- Carla Ulbrich, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and author
- Carla Werner, singer and songwriter from New Zealand
- Carla White (1951–2007), American jazz vocalist
- Carla Witte (1889–1943), German-Uruguayan painter, sculptor, and teacher
- Carla Woodcock (born 1998), English actress
- Carla Yules (born 1996), Indonesian beauty queen
- Carla Zampatti (1942–2021), fashion designer and businesswoman
- Carla Connor, character from the British soap opera, Coronation Street
- Carla Crozier, character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street
- Carla Espinosa, character from Scrubs
- Carla Gray, character on One Life to Live
- Carla Gunderson, young female Spix's Macaw character from animated movie Rio 2
- Carla Mitchell, character from the British soap opera, EastEnders
- Carla Tortelli, waitress on the TV show Cheers
- Carla Veloso, Cars series characters Female Auto racing World Grand Prix sports fiction Cars 2 (2011)
- Carla von Lahnstein, character from the German soap opera Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love)
- Lola and Carla, two characters from Sega's Joypolis