Carlyn
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KAR-lin
- Origin
- Germanic
- US rank, 2025
- #8,360 for girls
Carlyn is a girls' name of Germanic origin, meaning “free man”. In 2025 it ranked 8,360th for girls in the US (12 babies).
What does Carlyn mean?
Germanic: variant of Carolyn
“free man”
A shortened form of Carolyn, itself a variant of Caroline.
Is Carlyn a girl's or a boy's name?
Carlyn is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 12 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Carlyn in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 8,360th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 12 about 1 in 130,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 52% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 12 girls in the US were named Carlyn, making it the 8,360th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,310th. Its busiest year was 1992, with 74 girls. It first appears in the records in 1900.
Half of all the girls named Carlyn in the US since 1880 were born between 1950 and 1996, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 1994, 94% of the babies named Carlyn in the US were girls.
Carlyn in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #8,360 |
| 2024 | 18 | #6,391 |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 14 | #7,626 |
| 2021 | 10 | #9,557 |
| 2020 | 23 | #5,310 |
| 2019 | 20 | #5,982 |
| 2018 | 20 | #6,006 |
| 2017 | 28 | #4,809 |
| 2016 | 28 | #4,849 |
| 2015 | 31 | #4,487 |
| 2014 | 33 | #4,348 |
| 2013 | 38 | #3,916 |
| 2012 | 38 | #3,987 |
| 2011 | 33 | #4,352 |
| 2010 | 33 | #4,396 |
| 2009 | 44 | #3,618 |
| 2008 | 44 | #3,644 |
| 2007 | 45 | #3,600 |
| 2006 | 42 | #3,668 |
| 2005 | 46 | #3,313 |
| 2004 | 57 | #2,804 |
| 2003 | 48 | #3,082 |
| 2002 | 56 | #2,706 |
| 2001 | 57 | #2,631 |
| 2000 | 66 | #2,328 |
| 1999 | 52 | #2,672 |
| 1998 | 42 | #3,012 |
| 1997 | 63 | #2,171 |
| 1996 | 57 | #2,311 |
| 1995 | 58 | #2,277 |
| 1994 | 73 | #1,924 |
| 1993 | 72 | #1,938 |
| 1992 | 74 | #1,889 |
| 1991 | 68 | #2,008 |
| 1990 | 55 | #2,284 |
| 1989 | 61 | #2,049 |
| 1988 | 67 | #1,835 |
| 1987 | 72 | #1,677 |
| 1986 | 62 | #1,815 |
| 1985 | 69 | #1,679 |
| 1984 | 59 | #1,812 |
| 1983 | 47 | #2,096 |
| 1982 | 45 | #2,220 |
| 1981 | 47 | #2,158 |
| 1980 | 38 | #2,486 |
| 1979 | 26 | #3,147 |
| 1978 | 28 | #2,859 |
| 1977 | 26 | #3,001 |
| 1976 | 35 | #2,334 |
| 1975 | 44 | #1,986 |
| 1974 | 31 | #2,433 |
| 1973 | 28 | #2,565 |
| 1972 | 22 | #2,976 |
| 1971 | 38 | #2,137 |
| 1970 | 42 | #1,986 |
| 1969 | 36 | #2,102 |
| 1968 | 39 | #1,909 |
| 1967 | 45 | #1,702 |
| 1966 | 38 | #1,859 |
| 1965 | 50 | #1,575 |
| 1964 | 43 | #1,780 |
| 1963 | 40 | #1,838 |
| 1962 | 54 | #1,524 |
| 1961 | 53 | #1,552 |
| 1960 | 39 | #1,810 |
| 1959 | 40 | #1,740 |
| 1958 | 32 | #1,938 |
| 1957 | 42 | #1,651 |
| 1956 | 51 | #1,479 |
| 1955 | 42 | #1,578 |
| 1954 | 39 | #1,622 |
| 1953 | 41 | #1,530 |
| 1952 | 43 | #1,468 |
| 1951 | 37 | #1,554 |
| 1950 | 50 | #1,293 |
| 1949 | 36 | #1,542 |
| 1948 | 39 | #1,472 |
| 1947 | 58 | #1,182 |
| 1946 | 54 | #1,164 |
| 1945 | 47 | #1,141 |
| 1944 | 60 | #1,005 |
| 1943 | 68 | #952 |
| 1942 | 52 | #1,091 |
| 1941 | 38 | #1,222 |
| 1940 | 34 | #1,272 |
| 1939 | 30 | #1,350 |
| 1938 | 27 | #1,437 |
| 1937 | 32 | #1,282 |
| 1936 | 32 | #1,267 |
| 1935 | 24 | #1,514 |
| 1934 | 20 | #1,697 |
| 1933 | 24 | #1,513 |
| 1932 | 26 | #1,488 |
| 1931 | 17 | #1,940 |
| 1930 | 38 | #1,210 |
| 1929 | 25 | #1,554 |
| 1928 | 19 | #1,960 |
| 1927 | 24 | #1,727 |
| 1926 | 19 | #1,996 |
| 1925 | 19 | #2,017 |
| 1924 | 21 | #1,925 |
| 1923 | 14 | #2,465 |
| 1922 | 11 | #2,956 |
| 1921 | 16 | #2,282 |
| 1920 | 16 | #2,263 |
| 1919 | 17 | #2,063 |
| 1918 | 15 | #2,288 |
| 1917 | 17 | #1,995 |
| 1916 | 17 | #1,949 |
| 1915 | 15 | #2,049 |
| 1914 | 8 | #2,637 |
| 1913 | 11 | #1,883 |
| 1912 | 0 | – |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 5 | #2,398 |
| 1909 | 6 | #1,957 |
| 1908 | 6 | #1,862 |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 5 | #1,876 |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 5 | #1,931 |
Names like Carlyn
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Jocelyn, Carolyn, Robin, Carmen, Karla, Heidi, Rosalyn, Allison, Alison, Brooklyn, Eileen, Marilyn
Names related to Carlyn
Caroline, Carolina, Carolynn, Coralynn, Carlin, Coralyn, Caraline
More Germanic names
Amelia, Liam, Henry, Charlotte, William, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Harry, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Louie, Miles
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Carlyn: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/carlyn, updated 20 October 2026.