Carolyn
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Germanic
- US rank, 2025
- #1,222 for girls
Carolyn is a girls' name of Germanic origin. In 2025 it ranked 1,222nd for girls in the US (185 babies).
What does Carolyn mean?
Germanic
A female given name from the Germanic languages, a variant of Caroline used since the 19th century.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Carolyn a girl's or a boy's name?
Carolyn is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 185 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Carolyn in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1999, with 26 girls.
Half of all the girls named Carolyn in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2008. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1944 (#76), 1954 (#80) and 1964 (#80).
Carolyn in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6 | #3,766 |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,870 |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,864 |
| 2020 | 4 | #4,744 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 3 | #5,896 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 1 | #7,664 |
| 2015 | 4 | #4,951 |
| 2014 | 1 | #7,592 |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,953 |
| 2012 | 4 | #5,058 |
| 2011 | 4 | #4,980 |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,715 |
| 2009 | 8 | #2,909 |
| 2008 | 8 | #2,895 |
| 2007 | 6 | #3,396 |
| 2006 | 7 | #2,940 |
| 2005 | 16 | #1,521 |
| 2004 | 11 | #1,949 |
| 2003 | 5 | #3,233 |
| 2002 | 10 | #1,874 |
| 2001 | 7 | #2,341 |
| 2000 | 15 | #1,348 |
| 1999 | 26 | #923 |
| 1998 | 23 | #1,015 |
| 1997 | 16 | #1,278 |
| 1996 | 18 | #1,122 |
How popular is Carolyn in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,222nd among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 185 about 1 in 8,700 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 28% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 185 girls in the US were named Carolyn, making it the 1,222nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 947th. Its busiest year was 1947, with 20,742 girls.
2025 had fewer girls named Carolyn than any year since 1907.
Half of all the girls named Carolyn in the US since 1880 were born between 1942 and 1960, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 248 girls in the US were given Carolyn or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #939, up from #1,222 for this spelling alone.
Carolyn in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 185 | #1,222 |
| 2024 | 207 | #1,160 |
| 2023 | 228 | #1,085 |
| 2022 | 194 | #1,239 |
| 2021 | 218 | #1,129 |
| 2020 | 270 | #947 |
| 2019 | 282 | #936 |
| 2018 | 313 | #865 |
| 2017 | 326 | #832 |
| 2016 | 352 | #808 |
| 2015 | 377 | #748 |
| 2014 | 375 | #746 |
| 2013 | 347 | #784 |
| 2012 | 361 | #765 |
| 2011 | 371 | #742 |
| 2010 | 378 | #736 |
| 2009 | 426 | #683 |
| 2008 | 448 | #678 |
| 2007 | 495 | #606 |
| 2006 | 587 | #517 |
| 2005 | 626 | #488 |
| 2004 | 731 | #417 |
| 2003 | 701 | #430 |
| 2002 | 822 | #365 |
| 2001 | 870 | #346 |
| 2000 | 1,031 | #308 |
| 1999 | 1,037 | #297 |
| 1998 | 901 | #327 |
| 1997 | 1,061 | #276 |
| 1996 | 1,210 | #233 |
| 1995 | 1,175 | #242 |
| 1994 | 1,230 | #230 |
| 1993 | 1,479 | #200 |
| 1992 | 1,518 | #196 |
| 1991 | 1,559 | #193 |
| 1990 | 1,714 | #169 |
| 1989 | 1,809 | #158 |
| 1988 | 1,802 | #158 |
| 1987 | 1,813 | #149 |
| 1986 | 1,733 | #162 |
| 1985 | 1,837 | #155 |
| 1984 | 1,825 | #155 |
| 1983 | 1,914 | #150 |
| 1982 | 2,009 | #146 |
| 1981 | 1,958 | #144 |
| 1980 | 1,928 | #147 |
| 1979 | 2,053 | #138 |
| 1978 | 2,176 | #130 |
| 1977 | 2,197 | #129 |
| 1976 | 2,115 | #129 |
| 1975 | 2,346 | #119 |
| 1974 | 2,471 | #118 |
| 1973 | 2,569 | #116 |
| 1972 | 2,992 | #110 |
| 1971 | 3,609 | #104 |
| 1970 | 4,518 | #84 |
| 1969 | 5,129 | #71 |
| 1968 | 5,538 | #61 |
| 1967 | 5,719 | #60 |
| 1966 | 6,121 | #60 |
| 1965 | 6,965 | #58 |
| 1964 | 8,066 | #56 |
| 1963 | 8,124 | #56 |
| 1962 | 9,692 | #46 |
| 1961 | 10,509 | #42 |
| 1960 | 9,403 | #43 |
| 1959 | 9,727 | #42 |
| 1958 | 10,814 | #37 |
| 1957 | 11,575 | #33 |
| 1956 | 10,634 | #33 |
| 1955 | 11,179 | #30 |
| 1954 | 12,153 | #27 |
| 1953 | 12,919 | #25 |
| 1952 | 14,272 | #24 |
| 1951 | 15,206 | #22 |
| 1950 | 15,588 | #20 |
| 1949 | 17,404 | #17 |
| 1948 | 18,623 | #14 |
| 1947 | 20,742 | #15 |
| 1946 | 19,902 | #12 |
| 1945 | 17,244 | #12 |
| 1944 | 18,670 | #11 |
| 1943 | 20,365 | #11 |
| 1942 | 19,978 | #10 |
| 1941 | 16,273 | #11 |
| 1940 | 12,657 | #15 |
| 1939 | 11,290 | #14 |
| 1938 | 10,586 | #15 |
| 1937 | 8,941 | #20 |
| 1936 | 7,906 | #23 |
| 1935 | 6,967 | #28 |
| 1934 | 6,472 | #33 |
| 1933 | 5,043 | #40 |
| 1932 | 4,587 | #46 |
| 1931 | 4,008 | #60 |
| 1930 | 3,725 | #72 |
| 1929 | 3,272 | #77 |
| 1928 | 2,847 | #91 |
| 1927 | 2,806 | #99 |
| 1926 | 2,415 | #114 |
| 1925 | 2,189 | #127 |
| 1924 | 2,222 | #127 |
| 1923 | 2,010 | #132 |
| 1922 | 1,706 | #144 |
| 1921 | 1,753 | #146 |
| 1920 | 1,556 | #150 |
| 1919 | 1,330 | #165 |
| 1918 | 1,329 | #167 |
| 1917 | 1,223 | #164 |
| 1916 | 1,216 | #163 |
| 1915 | 1,096 | #168 |
| 1914 | 835 | #169 |
| 1913 | 676 | #170 |
| 1912 | 517 | #189 |
| 1911 | 387 | #185 |
| 1910 | 331 | #199 |
| 1909 | 299 | #194 |
| 1908 | 280 | #200 |
| 1907 | 184 | #254 |
| 1906 | 184 | #235 |
| 1905 | 210 | #213 |
| 1904 | 183 | #227 |
| 1903 | 157 | #241 |
| 1902 | 179 | #224 |
| 1901 | 148 | #237 |
| 1900 | 185 | #231 |
| 1899 | 141 | #231 |
| 1898 | 169 | #225 |
| 1897 | 145 | #227 |
| 1896 | 149 | #227 |
| 1895 | 148 | #227 |
| 1894 | 147 | #219 |
| 1893 | 146 | #211 |
| 1892 | 122 | #239 |
| 1891 | 110 | #230 |
| 1890 | 124 | #217 |
| 1889 | 133 | #199 |
| 1888 | 123 | #203 |
| 1887 | 97 | #208 |
| 1886 | 82 | #222 |
| 1885 | 86 | #208 |
| 1884 | 75 | #218 |
| 1883 | 58 | #234 |
| 1882 | 62 | #217 |
| 1881 | 60 | #195 |
| 1880 | 80 | #163 |
Names like Carolyn
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Charlotte, Evelyn, Connie, Robyn, Harriet, Ffion, Billie, Catherine, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Alice, Rosalyn
Other spellings of Carolyn
Names related to Carolyn
Caroline, Carolina, Carlyn, Carolanne, Carolann, Carlene, Coralynn, Carlin, Coralyn
More Germanic names
Amelia, Liam, Henry, William, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Harry, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Louie, Miles, Myles
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, “Carolyn: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/carolyn, updated 20 October 2026.