NameChart

Carolyn

Girl name

Carolyn has been given to 558,397 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1947.

Meaning & origin /ˈkɛɹəlɪn/

A variant of Caroline with -lyn.

Origin: Germanic languages

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

05.186k10.371k15.557k20.742k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

558,397

Peak year

1947 (20,788 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▼ -51%

Gender split

100% girls / 0% boys

Famous people named Carolyn

Carol Greider

American molecular biologist

Carolyn Bertozzi

American chemist (born 1966)

Carolyn S. Shoemaker

American astronomer, researcher and university teacher

Carolyn Porco

American planetary scientist

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Carolyn.

Get new name insights first

Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.