Karolyn
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KAIR-a-lin
- Origin
- Germanic
- US rank, 2025
- #6,324 for girls
Karolyn is a girls' name of Germanic origin, meaning “free man”. In 2025 it ranked 6,324th for girls in the US (18 babies).
What does Karolyn mean?
Germanic: spelling of Carolyn, feminine of Charles
“free man”
A spelling of Carolyn, a 20th-century variant of Caroline, the feminine form of Charles.
Is Karolyn a girl's or a boy's name?
Karolyn is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 18 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Karolyn in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #6,324among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 18about 1 in 89,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 17% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 18 girls in the US were named Karolyn, making it the 6,324th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,625th. Its busiest year was 1946, with 167 girls. It first appears in the records in 1912.
Half of all the girls named Karolyn in the US since 1880 were born between 1946 and 1983, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 248 girls in the US were given Karolyn or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #939, up from #6,324 for this spelling alone.
Karolyn in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | #6,324 |
| 2024 | 22 | #5,612 |
| 2023 | 15 | #7,242 |
| 2022 | 23 | #5,462 |
| 2021 | 16 | #6,962 |
| 2020 | 17 | #6,625 |
| 2019 | 13 | #8,134 |
| 2018 | 36 | #4,000 |
| 2017 | 27 | #4,920 |
| 2016 | 24 | #5,444 |
| 2015 | 20 | #6,234 |
| 2014 | 30 | #4,655 |
| 2013 | 32 | #4,420 |
| 2012 | 25 | #5,396 |
| 2011 | 19 | #6,561 |
| 2010 | 26 | #5,245 |
| 2009 | 29 | #4,930 |
| 2008 | 28 | #5,140 |
| 2007 | 44 | #3,652 |
| 2006 | 38 | #3,918 |
| 2005 | 44 | #3,400 |
| 2004 | 40 | #3,627 |
| 2003 | 31 | #4,216 |
| 2002 | 32 | #3,974 |
| 2001 | 42 | #3,252 |
| 2000 | 32 | #3,881 |
| 1999 | 37 | #3,371 |
| 1998 | 32 | #3,645 |
| 1997 | 52 | #2,478 |
| 1996 | 37 | #3,144 |
| 1995 | 50 | #2,511 |
| 1994 | 49 | #2,536 |
| 1993 | 48 | #2,568 |
| 1992 | 63 | #2,123 |
| 1991 | 44 | #2,697 |
| 1990 | 56 | #2,253 |
| 1989 | 55 | #2,189 |
| 1988 | 45 | #2,414 |
| 1987 | 53 | #2,064 |
| 1986 | 39 | #2,511 |
| 1985 | 48 | #2,171 |
| 1984 | 40 | #2,381 |
| 1983 | 43 | #2,235 |
| 1982 | 53 | #1,965 |
| 1981 | 55 | #1,935 |
| 1980 | 39 | #2,440 |
| 1979 | 54 | #1,917 |
| 1978 | 56 | #1,804 |
| 1977 | 78 | #1,429 |
| 1976 | 70 | #1,482 |
| 1975 | 62 | #1,586 |
| 1974 | 63 | #1,532 |
| 1973 | 53 | #1,690 |
| 1972 | 63 | #1,502 |
| 1971 | 71 | #1,456 |
| 1970 | 81 | #1,315 |
| 1969 | 84 | #1,214 |
| 1968 | 72 | #1,301 |
| 1967 | 72 | #1,269 |
| 1966 | 89 | #1,119 |
| 1965 | 109 | #996 |
| 1964 | 92 | #1,145 |
| 1963 | 77 | #1,250 |
| 1962 | 106 | #1,050 |
| 1961 | 98 | #1,108 |
| 1960 | 70 | #1,311 |
| 1959 | 65 | #1,325 |
| 1958 | 74 | #1,232 |
| 1957 | 90 | #1,099 |
| 1956 | 64 | #1,297 |
| 1955 | 60 | #1,302 |
| 1954 | 73 | #1,163 |
| 1953 | 79 | #1,081 |
| 1952 | 97 | #945 |
| 1951 | 97 | #937 |
| 1950 | 92 | #926 |
| 1949 | 114 | #819 |
| 1948 | 122 | #776 |
| 1947 | 148 | #691 |
| 1946 | 167 | #613 |
| 1945 | 132 | #634 |
| 1944 | 133 | #635 |
| 1943 | 154 | #605 |
| 1942 | 129 | #658 |
| 1941 | 149 | #571 |
| 1940 | 107 | #669 |
| 1939 | 105 | #664 |
| 1938 | 79 | #792 |
| 1937 | 65 | #856 |
| 1936 | 42 | #1,081 |
| 1935 | 41 | #1,084 |
| 1934 | 45 | #1,035 |
| 1933 | 32 | #1,262 |
| 1932 | 25 | #1,520 |
| 1931 | 21 | #1,685 |
| 1930 | 17 | #2,022 |
| 1929 | 8 | #3,392 |
| 1928 | 13 | #2,496 |
| 1927 | 12 | #2,698 |
| 1926 | 18 | #2,075 |
| 1925 | 11 | #2,938 |
| 1924 | 14 | #2,513 |
| 1923 | 13 | #2,587 |
| 1922 | 7 | #4,009 |
| 1921 | 6 | #4,462 |
| 1920 | 9 | #3,339 |
| 1919 | 6 | #4,249 |
| 1918 | 13 | #2,518 |
| 1917 | 5 | #4,592 |
| 1916 | 6 | #3,917 |
| 1915 | 6 | #3,793 |
| 1914 | 0 | – |
| 1913 | 5 | #3,185 |
| 1912 | 6 | #2,632 |
Nicknames for Karolyn
Names like Karolyn
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Rosalyn Karla Marilyn Gwendolyn Robin Alison Karen Allison Diana Heidi Jocelyn Kimberly
Other spellings of Karolyn
Names related to Karolyn
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, “Karolyn: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/karolyn, updated 20 October 2026.