Carolyn
A variant of Caroline, which came from the French feminine diminutive of Charles, a name resting on a Germanic word meaning 'free man'.
Carolyn in 2025
Carolyn was given to 185 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,328th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 17,921 babies born.
The history of Carolyn
Carolyn reached its highest point in 1947, when 20,788 babies were given the name, ranking 33rd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 24th, in 1942.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 558,397 babies have been named Carolyn. Half of them were born before 1949, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Carolyn by decade
| Decade | Babies named Carolyn | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 856 | 311 |
| 1890s | 1,401 | 327 |
| 1900s | 2,009 | 292 |
| 1910s | 8,955 | 281 |
| 1920s | 22,824 | 133 |
| 1930s | 69,795 | 31 |
| 1940s | 182,381 | 24 |
| 1950s | 124,378 | 43 |
| 1960s | 75,503 | 83 |
| 1970s | 27,139 | 149 |
| 1980s | 18,729 | 287 |
| 1990s | 12,906 | 352 |
| 2000s | 6,737 | 601 |
| 2010s | 3,482 | 1,368 |
| 2020s | 1,302 | 1,764 |
Where Carolyn is heading
Carolyn has fallen 51% over the past decade, from 377 babies in 2015 to 185 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1947 peak — Carolyn is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Carolyn
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Carolyn.