Carly sits next to 4 phonetic neighbors — Charlie, Harley, and Barley are the closest matches by sound. Most share Carly's English-origin cluster, so the rhythm and vowel shape carry across the list.
You searched for names like
"free man, manly"
"from the valley settlement"
"prince, chieftain"
"one who lives near a bend; from the bend"
"dark, rich"
"modern variant possibly related to 'bull' (Taurus) or 'morning star..."
"gift, blessing"
"fate, destined path, divine purpose"
Similar sound: These names share phonetic patterns with Carly — similar vowel sounds, consonant clusters, or rhythm.
Shared roots: Several names on this list have Germanic origins, giving them the same cultural heritage as Carly.
Rhythm: Carly is a 2-syllable name. Names with the same syllable count tend to feel interchangeable when you're narrowing your list.