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Carolina

Gender
Girl
Say it
ka-ro-LEE-na
Origin
Germanic
UK rank, 2025
#1,570 for girls
US rank, 2025
#405 for girls

Carolina is a girls' name of Germanic origin, meaning “free man”. In 2025 it ranked 1,570th for girls in the UK (20 babies) and 405th for girls in the US (769 babies).

What does Carolina mean?

Germanic: feminine of Carolus, the Latin form of Charles

“free man”

The Carolinas in the United States were named in honour of King Charles, from his Latin name Carolus.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Carolina a girl's or a boy's name?

Carolina is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 20 girls in the UK and 769 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Carolina in the UK?

Rank in 2025
1,570th among girls
Babies in 2025
20 about 1 in 14,000 girls
Five-year trend
Falling down 38% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 20 girls in the UK were named Carolina, making it the 1,570th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 987th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 45 girls.

2025 had fewer girls named Carolina than any year since 2004.

Half of all the girls named Carolina in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 33 girls in the UK were given Carolina or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #977, up from #1,570 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 1,512th in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 45 in 20152025
Carolina in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202520#1,570
202421#1,538
202328#1,247
202225#1,363
202134#1,078
202037#987
201938#1,004
201836#1,050
201738#1,027
201633#1,133
201545#887
201440#983
201329#1,261
201227#1,293
201122#1,467
201029#1,200
200935#996
200828#1,141
200729#1,082
200621#1,319
200525#1,077
200417#1,399
200319#1,263
200219#1,186
200110#1,832
200012#1,593
199910#1,770
199811#1,694
199715#1,333
199615#1,309

How popular is Carolina in the US?

Rank in 2025
405th among girls
Babies in 2025
769 about 1 in 2,100 girls
Five-year trend
Steady up 2% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 769 girls in the US were named Carolina, making it the 405th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 450th. Its busiest year was 2004, with 1,270 girls.

2025 had more girls named Carolina than any year since 2016.

Half of all the girls named Carolina in the US since 1880 were born between 1983 and 2009, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 946 girls in the US were given Carolina or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #352, up from #405 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 1,270 in 20042025
Carolina in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025769#405
2024718#429
2023730#420
2022664#477
2021609#511
2020684#450
2019756#414
2018740#420
2017722#439
2016775#421
2015732#432
2014788#407
2013712#428
2012723#432
2011729#430
2010822#389
2009828#387
2008925#357
20071,020#329
20061,196#280
20051,133#291
20041,270#254
20031,216#262
20021,074#289
20011,207#265
20001,204#267
19991,036#298
19981,011#299
19971,073#272
19961,054#275
1995989#279
19941,049#268
1993949#292
1992917#304
1991860#314
1990910#302
1989794#320
1988524#434
1987481#458
1986466#461
1985404#504
1984377#515
1983422#473
1982398#507
1981435#484
1980455#467
1979436#463
1978399#486
1977269#624
1976248#627
1975247#633
1974199#722
1973227#655
1972166#812
1971189#769
1970213#718
1969173#774
1968185#716
1967161#779
1966193#705
1965194#704
1964227#677
1963173#787
1962172#794
1961166#815
1960143#865
1959101#1,058
1958105#1,011
1957127#902
1956107#976
1955103#983
1954109#920
1953126#825
1952108#886
1951113#839
1950104#868
1949115#812
1948114#809
1947128#758
1946119#748
1945114#697
1944124#663
1943131#662
194281#853
194198#707
194078#802
193995#698
1938101#682
1937107#657
193694#686
193597#675
1934104#656
1933117#597
1932112#633
1931110#631
1930132#600
1929153#551
1928145#587
1927125#643
1926120#660
1925145#602
1924144#626
1923128#654
1922118#671
1921137#629
1920132#622
1919109#666
191898#725
1917102#677
1916111#641
1915100#662
191477#661
191358#678
191263#620
191156#573
191043#644
190939#624
190845#557
190733#649
190644#515
190530#642
190444#493
190332#574
190231#591
190137#499
190040#531
189915#835
189824#666
189717#761
189628#576
189535#493
189434#487
189324#571
189228#510
189121#572
189023#548
188927#475
188824#512
188719#512
188625#432
188518#500
188413#583
188320#423
188210#596
188110#539
188013#466

Nicknames for Carolina

Names like Carolina

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Amelia, Isabella, Olivia, Eliana, Arabella, Aurora, Ava, Emilia, Sophia, Gabriella, Eliza, Fatima

Other spellings of Carolina

Karolina

Names related to Carolina

Caroline, Coraline, Carolyn, Carlyn, Carolanne, Carolann, Carolynn, Carlin, Caraline

More Germanic names

Liam, Henry, Charlotte, William, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Harry, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Louie, Miles, Alice

Every Germanic name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and 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, “Carolina: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/carolina, updated 20 October 2026.