Caroline

#96 for girls in 2025, 2,646 births · Last seen for boys in 2014 at #10,717
Given to girls 99.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
2017 · 4,294 births
Debut · girls
306 births
In top 100 · girls
46 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
250,410
since 1880

Caroline over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201940peak #55, 2017girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#962,646
2024#922,730
2023#832,868
2022#773,030
2021#803,204
2020#713,364
2019#613,920
2018#564,167
2017#554,294
2016#564,437
2015#624,333
2014#594,348#10,7176
2013#633,983
2012#803,421
2011#873,370
2010#883,360
2009#873,624
2008#943,545#6,76312
2007#993,409
2006#893,791
2005#833,974#9,1157
2004#744,379#5,81313
2003#684,585
2002#674,657
2001#624,864#7,5368
2000#655,022#8,2097
1999#714,474#8,7046
1998#754,276#8,4796
1997#754,439#9,2655
1996#784,466
1995#923,799
1994#943,452#6,9687
1993#1053,083
1992#1053,176#6,6707
1991#1162,843
1990#1162,819#3,97114
1989#1132,661#2,24530
1988#1222,326#5,2008
1987#1352,047#3,95911
1986#1571,802#6,7215
1985#1641,751#6,5235
1984#1671,633#3,92510
1983#1831,482
1982#1781,537#5,0037
1981#1931,391#4,1539
1980#2001,313#6,2505
1979#1981,354#6,0565
1978#2001,308#5,7725
1977#2101,204
1976#1971,224#3,7249
1975#1981,232
1974#2121,196#4,1907
1973#2291,112#3,6948
1972#2511,071
1971#2411,215
1970#2291,371
1969#2241,352
1968#2151,411
1967#2101,449
1966#2021,551
1965#1871,815#3,9305
1964#1792,106
1963#2081,689
1962#1861,989#4,0335
1961#1762,198#3,6526
1960#2541,210#4,0385
1959#2741,044
1958#282990
1957#2531,137
1956#329702
1955#315742
1954#302771
1953#280885
1952#263916
1951#254919
1950#257879
1949#2351,001
1948#2261,080
1947#2201,150
1946#2141,091
1945#1971,013
1944#1781,213
1943#1711,353
1942#1681,390#3,5605
1941#1741,173
1940#1721,161#2,6718
1939#1861,005#3,4805
1938#1811,115
1937#1811,094#2,9057
1936#1771,075
1935#1781,048
1934#1741,069
1933#1731,050
1932#1741,103#3,3616
1931#1651,125
1930#1721,160#4,0015
1929#1711,192
1928#1751,189#3,0768
1927#1791,167
1926#1741,217
1925#1851,193
1924#1751,302
1923#1731,304#4,2395
1922#1761,269
1921#1621,425
1920#1591,436
1919#1691,296#4,1685
1918#1541,458
1917#1521,368
1916#1441,385
1915#1371,402
1914#148989#2,6517
1913#149805
1912#139785
1911#146550
1910#146553
1909#157443
1908#150449
1907#151437
1906#144409
1905#146407
1904#136429
1903#141389
1902#126452
1901#125406
1900#135455
1899#124393
1898#122441
1897#112456
1896#110437
1895#105484
1894#103473
1893#99483
1892#100476
1891#100402#9635
1890#94455
1889#84491
1888#89458
1887#84398
1886#91370
1885#78399
1884#78380
1883#86321
1882#85304
1881#73316
1880#75306
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Caroline was already there! It came in at #75, and was given to 306 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1887, when fewer than 400 girls a year got the name.

See more about Caroline
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 4 spots since 2024 (#92#96)
  • 25 spots since 2020 (#71#96)
  • 34 spots since 2015 (#62#96)
  • Biggest jump: 78 spots in 1961 (#254#176)
  • Biggest drop: 29 spots in 1958 (#253#282)
Rise & fade · girls
137 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 2017 at #55 (4,294 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 46 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 46 yrs · run 1994–2025
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 291
  • Highest: 1 in 291 girls born in 1881 were named Caroline (0.34%)
  • Latest: 1 in 607 girls born in 2025 (0.16%)
  • Its best rank, #55 in 2017, was only 1 in 402 (0.25%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 2000s
  • 16.7% of all girls named Caroline (41,850) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s3,743#73 (1881)#82
1890s4,500#94 (1890)#107
1900s4,276#125 (1901)#141
1910s10,591#137 (1915)#148
1920s12,694#159 (1920)#173
1930s10,844#165 (1931)#176
1940s11,625#168 (1942)#196
1950s8,985#253 (1957)#281
1960s16,770#176 (1961)#204
1970s12,287#197 (1976)#217
1980s17,943#113 (1989)#161
1990s36,827#71 (1999)#93
2000s41,850#62 (2001)#79
2010s39,633#55 (2017)#67
2020s17,842#71 (2020)#83

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Caroline in 1940

girls
#172
1,161 births · 1 in 985 girls
boys
#2,671
8 births · 1 in 144,897 boys

Top girls' names in 1940

  1. #1Mary56,216
  2. #2Barbara36,736
  3. #3Patricia32,665
  4. #4Judith22,385
  5. #5Betty22,077
  6. #6Carol21,759
  7. #7Nancy19,737
  8. #8Linda18,370
  9. #9Shirley17,881
  10. #10Sandra16,153
  11. #172Caroline1,161

Top boys' names in 1940

  1. #1James62,481
  2. #2Robert61,198
  3. #3John54,786
  4. #4William44,779
  5. #5Richard37,425
  6. #6Charles31,689
  7. #7David27,690
  8. #8Thomas23,991
  9. #9Donald23,115
  10. #10Ronald20,741
  11. #2,671Caroline8
More about 1940

girls

1,143,528 girls got a published name in 1940; 1 in 985 of them was named Caroline, which outranked 96.6% of the 5,028 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Caroline
  1. #169Gwendolyn1,222
  2. #170Agnes1,190
  3. #171Dixie1,170
  4. #172Caroline1,161
  5. #173Rosemarie1,129
  6. #174Rosie1,119
  7. #175Patty1,099
Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 2,494Scarlett#3,429#935
  2. 1,465Lonna#2,206#741
  3. 834Pam#1,797#963
  4. 659Jody#1,638#979
  5. 633Laraine#1,474#841
Fallers
  1. 481Fredia#996#1,477
  2. 430Eleanora#974#1,404
  3. 375Danielle#811#1,186
  4. 342Eloisa#930#1,272
  5. 298Coral#996#1,294

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,159,172 boys got a published name in 1940; 1 in 144,897 of them was named Caroline, which outranked 32.2% of the 3,937 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Caroline
  1. #2,478Winnie9
  2. #2,478Woodford9
  3. #2,478Ygnacio9
  4. #2,671Caroline8
  5. #2,671Alger8
  6. #2,671Ali8
  7. #2,671Alven8
  8. #2,871Acey7
  9. #2,871Adalberto7
  10. #2,871Adelard7

Tied with 199 names at #2,671; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 565Whitney#1,458#893
  2. 447Gonzalo#1,297#850
  3. 419Weston#1,323#904
  4. 368Ashley#1,272#904
  5. 366Agustin#1,238#872
Fallers
  1. 886Montie#916#1,802
  2. 446Verlon#888#1,334
  3. 394Issac#857#1,251
  4. 392Otho#942#1,334
  5. 384Pearl#867#1,251

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1940