Meaning not yet researched.
Carolyn: US girls given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 185 in 2025. Its best rank was #10 in 1942.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #10 in 1942; #1,222 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Carolyn in 2025 was a girl.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,222 for US girls in 2025. Its best year was 1942, at #10.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Carolyn: US girls given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 185 girls in 2025. Peak: #10 in 1942 · most girls in one year: 20,742 (1947).
In 2025, 185 US girls were named Carolyn, making it the 1,222nd most common girls’ name of the year, down 62 places from #1,160 in 2024. That is 22 fewer than the 207 girls named Carolyn in 2024. Its best rank for girls was #10, reached in 1942. The most girls given the name in a single year was 20,742, in 1947. For comparison, it was #748 in 2015 and #20 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Carolyn in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 80 babies with the name. In all, 558,397 US babies have been given the name, 99.7% of them girls and 0.3% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1940s, with 182,381 babies named Carolyn.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 2,575 US girls were named Carolyn; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 352. In 2025 that was about 1 in 8,688 of the girls in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Carolyn ranked highest in Mississippi in 2025, at #452 for girls there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Caroline (250,719 babies since 1880), Carolina (48,108 babies since 1880), Karolyn (5,957 babies since 1880) and Karolina (4,676 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Karalyn, Carolin and Caralyn are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Carrie, Cassie and Lynn.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in English. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Karalyn (1,601), Carolin (1,255), Caralyn (1,148), Carolynne (987), Karilyn (897), Carylon (792), Carolene (739), Carilyn (425), Caralynn (326), Carrolyn (288), Caroleen (272), Karolynn (271), and more.
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US girls. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five girls got the name, so 33 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 6 | #452 | — |
| Kentucky | 8 | #510 | #651 |
| South Carolina | 8 | #569 | — |
| Alabama | 7 | #649 | #837 |
| Ohio | 13 | #717 | #578 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | #728 | — |
| Massachusetts | 6 | #782 | #524 |
| Indiana | 6 | #938 | #714 |
| Missouri | 5 | #965 | #759 |
| Tennessee | 6 | #1,007 | #758 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | #1,036 | #469 |
| New Jersey | 5 | #1,209 | #587 |
| Michigan | 5 | #1,251 | #635 |
| Florida | 11 | #1,265 | #949 |
| North Carolina | 6 | #1,307 | #523 |
| Illinois | 5 | #1,446 | #1,188 |
| Texas | 13 | #1,730 | #935 |
| California | 10 | #1,981 | #988 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 185 | #1,222 | — | — |
| 2024 | 207 | #1,160 | — | — |
| 2023 | 228 | #1,085 | — | — |
| 2022 | 194 | #1,240 | — | — |
| 2021 | 218 | #1,129 | — | — |
| 2020 | 270 | #947 | — | — |
| 2019 | 282 | #936 | — | — |
| 2018 | 313 | #866 | — | — |
| 2017 | 326 | #833 | — | — |
| 2016 | 352 | #809 | — | — |
| 2015 | 377 | #748 | — | — |
| 2014 | 375 | #747 | — | — |
| 2013 | 347 | #785 | — | — |
| 2012 | 361 | #765 | — | — |
| 2011 | 371 | #742 | — | — |
| 2010 | 378 | #736 | — | — |
| 2009 | 426 | #683 | — | — |
| 2008 | 448 | #678 | — | — |
| 2007 | 495 | #606 | — | — |
| 2006 | 587 | #517 | — | — |
| 2005 | 626 | #489 | — | — |
| 2004 | 731 | #418 | — | — |
| 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 | 6 | #7,943 |
| 1994 | 1,230 | #230 | — | — |
| 1993 | 1,479 | #200 | — | — |
| 1992 | 1,518 | #196 | — | — |
| 1991 | 1,559 | #193 | 7 | #6,610 |
| 1990 | 1,714 | #169 | 9 | #5,438 |
| 1989 | 1,809 | #158 | 17 | #3,338 |
| 1988 | 1,802 | #159 | 8 | #5,266 |
| 1987 | 1,813 | #149 | 11 | #4,003 |
| 1986 | 1,733 | #162 | 11 | #3,914 |
| 1985 | 1,837 | #155 | 10 | #4,089 |
| 1984 | 1,825 | #155 | 9 | #4,256 |
| 1983 | 1,914 | #150 | 10 | #3,918 |
| 1982 | 2,009 | #146 | 8 | #4,652 |
| 1981 | 1,958 | #144 | 10 | #3,890 |
| 1980 | 1,928 | #147 | 7 | #5,007 |
| 1979 | 2,053 | #138 | 7 | #4,918 |
| 1978 | 2,176 | #130 | 10 | #3,639 |
| 1977 | 2,197 | #129 | 11 | #3,415 |
| 1976 | 2,115 | #129 | 6 | #5,012 |
| 1975 | 2,346 | #119 | 7 | #4,382 |
| 1974 | 2,471 | #118 | 8 | #3,889 |
| 1973 | 2,569 | #116 | 11 | #3,043 |
| 1972 | 2,992 | #110 | 13 | #2,676 |
| 1971 | 3,609 | #104 | 7 | #4,024 |
| 1970 | 4,518 | #84 | 13 | #2,639 |
| 1969 | 5,129 | #71 | 17 | #2,058 |
| 1968 | 5,538 | #61 | 16 | #2,043 |
| 1967 | 5,719 | #60 | 26 | #1,511 |
| 1966 | 6,121 | #60 | 20 | #1,729 |
| 1965 | 6,965 | #58 | 22 | #1,674 |
| 1964 | 8,066 | #56 | 26 | #1,550 |
| 1963 | 8,124 | #56 | 32 | #1,378 |
| 1962 | 9,692 | #46 | 28 | #1,480 |
| 1961 | 10,509 | #42 | 25 | #1,606 |
| 1960 | 9,403 | #43 | 25 | #1,627 |
| 1959 | 9,727 | #42 | 33 | #1,362 |
| 1958 | 10,814 | #37 | 32 | #1,374 |
| 1957 | 11,575 | #33 | 25 | #1,586 |
| 1956 | 10,634 | #33 | 32 | #1,363 |
| 1955 | 11,179 | #30 | 31 | #1,373 |
| 1954 | 12,153 | #27 | 30 | #1,385 |
| 1953 | 12,919 | #25 | 30 | #1,380 |
| 1952 | 14,272 | #24 | 38 | #1,197 |
| 1951 | 15,206 | #22 | 35 | #1,244 |
| 1950 | 15,588 | #20 | 25 | #1,472 |
| 1949 | 17,404 | #17 | 29 | #1,349 |
| 1948 | 18,623 | #14 | 40 | #1,128 |
| 1947 | 20,742 | #15 | 46 | #1,064 |
| 1946 | 19,902 | #12 | 47 | #985 |
| 1945 | 17,244 | #12 | 50 | #900 |
| 1944 | 18,670 | #11 | 69 | #745 |
| 1943 | 20,365 | #11 | 76 | #741 |
| 1942 | 19,978 | #10 | 60 | #841 |
| 1941 | 16,273 | #11 | 60 | #820 |
| 1940 | 12,657 | #15 | 46 | #942 |
| 1939 | 11,290 | #14 | 41 | #994 |
| 1938 | 10,586 | #15 | 40 | #1,012 |
| 1937 | 8,941 | #20 | 44 | #942 |
| 1936 | 7,906 | #23 | 30 | #1,209 |
| 1935 | 6,967 | #28 | 23 | #1,426 |
| 1934 | 6,472 | #33 | 22 | #1,466 |
| 1933 | 5,043 | #40 | 19 | #1,599 |
| 1932 | 4,587 | #46 | 14 | #2,010 |
| 1931 | 4,008 | #60 | 17 | #1,780 |
| 1930 | 3,725 | #72 | 20 | #1,649 |
| 1929 | 3,272 | #77 | 10 | #2,623 |
| 1928 | 2,847 | #91 | 9 | #2,883 |
| 1927 | 2,806 | #99 | 8 | #3,201 |
| 1926 | 2,415 | #114 | — | — |
| 1925 | 2,189 | #127 | 9 | #2,962 |
| 1924 | 2,222 | #127 | 5 | #4,446 |
| 1923 | 2,010 | #132 | 7 | #3,517 |
| 1922 | 1,706 | #144 | — | — |
| 1921 | 1,753 | #146 | — | — |
| 1920 | 1,556 | #150 | — | — |
| 1919 | 1,330 | #165 | — | — |
| 1918 | 1,329 | #167 | — | — |
| 1917 | 1,223 | #164 | 5 | #4,075 |
| 1916 | 1,216 | #163 | — | — |
| 1915 | 1,096 | #168 | 10 | #2,477 |
| 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 | #209 | — | — |
| 1884 | 75 | #218 | — | — |
| 1883 | 58 | #234 | — | — |
| 1882 | 62 | #217 | — | — |
| 1881 | 60 | #195 | — | — |
| 1880 | 80 | #163 | — | — |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).