Carolyn

#1,222 for girls in 2025, 185 births · Last seen for boys in 1995 at #7,792
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1942 · 19,978 births
Debut · girls
80 births
In top 100 · girls
44 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
556,777
since 1880

Carolyn over time

girls

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

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201972peak #10, 1942girls
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#1,222185
2024#1,160207
2023#1,085228
2022#1,239194
2021#1,129218
2020#947270
2019#936282
2018#865313
2017#832326
2016#808352
2015#748377
2014#746375
2013#784347
2012#765361
2011#742371
2010#736378
2009#683426
2008#678448
2007#606495
2006#517587
2005#488626
2004#417731
2003#430701
2002#365822
2001#346870
2000#3081,031
1999#2971,037
1998#327901
1997#2761,061
1996#2331,210
1995#2421,175#7,7926
1994#2301,230
1993#2001,479
1992#1961,518
1991#1931,559#6,5197
1990#1691,714#5,3829
1989#1581,809#3,32517
1988#1581,802#5,2008
1987#1491,813#3,95911
1986#1621,733#3,88211
1985#1551,837#4,05210
1984#1551,825#4,2159
1983#1501,914#3,88410
1982#1462,009#4,5938
1981#1441,958#3,85810
1980#1471,928#4,9407
1979#1382,053#4,8427
1978#1302,176#3,61410
1977#1292,197#3,38611
1976#1292,115#4,9356
1975#1192,346#4,3097
1974#1182,471#3,8378
1973#1162,569#3,01311
1972#1102,992#2,65913
1971#1043,609#3,9637
1970#844,518#2,62113
1969#715,129#2,04617
1968#615,538#2,03016
1967#605,719#1,50726
1966#606,121#1,72320
1965#586,965#1,66922
1964#568,066#1,54526
1963#568,124#1,37532
1962#469,692#1,47928
1961#4210,509#1,60225
1960#439,403#1,61925
1959#429,727#1,36033
1958#3710,814#1,37032
1957#3311,575#1,58325
1956#3310,634#1,36232
1955#3011,179#1,37031
1954#2712,153#1,38230
1953#2512,919#1,37830
1952#2414,272#1,19538
1951#2215,206#1,24235
1950#2015,588#1,46425
1949#1717,404#1,34829
1948#1418,623#1,12740
1947#1520,742#1,06446
1946#1219,902#98047
1945#1217,244#89950
1944#1118,670#74569
1943#1120,365#74076
1942#1019,978#83960
1941#1116,273#81760
1940#1512,657#93946
1939#1411,290#99241
1938#1510,586#1,00940
1937#208,941#94244
1936#237,906#1,20530
1935#286,967#1,42223
1934#336,472#1,46122
1933#405,043#1,58619
1932#464,587#1,99514
1931#604,008#1,77017
1930#723,725#1,64420
1929#773,272#2,58910
1928#912,847#2,8439
1927#992,806#3,1518
1926#1142,415
1925#1272,189#2,9369
1924#1272,222#4,3475
1923#1322,010#3,4677
1922#1441,706
1921#1461,753
1920#1501,556
1919#1651,330
1918#1671,329
1917#1641,223#3,9815
1916#1631,216
1915#1681,096#2,45810
1914#169835
1913#170676
1912#189517
1911#185387
1910#199331
1909#194299
1908#200280
1907#254184
1906#235184
1905#213210
1904#227183
1903#241157
1902#224179
1901#237148
1900#231185
1899#231141
1898#225169
1897#227145
1896#227149
1895#227148
1894#219147
1893#211146
1892#239122
1891#230110
1890#217124
1889#199133
1888#203123
1887#20897
1886#22282
1885#20886
1884#21875
1883#23458
1882#21762
1881#19560
1880#16380
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Carolyn was already there! It came in at #163, and was given to 80 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1886, when fewer than 87 girls a year got the name.

See more about Carolyn
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 62 spots since 2024 (#1,160#1,222)
  • 275 spots since 2020 (#947#1,222)
  • 474 spots since 2015 (#748#1,222)
  • Biggest jump: 54 spots in 1908 (#254#200)
  • Biggest drop: 182 spots in 2021 (#947#1,129)
Rise & fade · girls
62 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1942 at #10 (19,978 births)
  • Births halved by 1959, 17 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 1 yr
  • Top 10: 1 yr · 1942
  • Top 100: 44 yrs · run 1927–1970
  • Top 1,000: 141 yrs · run 1880–2020
Share of babies · girls
1 in 68
  • Highest: 1 in 68 girls born in 1942 were named Carolyn (1.5%)
  • Latest: 1 in 8,688 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · girls
The 1940s
  • 32.7% of all girls named Carolyn (181,858) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s856#163 (1880)#207
1890s1,401#211 (1893)#225
1900s2,009#194 (1909)#226
1910s8,940#163 (1916)#174
1920s22,776#77 (1929)#121
1930s69,525#14 (1939)#35
1940s181,858#10 (1942)#13
1950s124,067#20 (1950)#29
1960s75,266#42 (1961)#55
1970s27,046#84 (1970)#118
1980s18,628#144 (1981)#152
1990s12,884#169 (1990)#236
2000s6,737#308 (2000)#484
2010s3,482#736 (2010)#796
2020s1,302#947 (2020)#1,130

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.

Carolyn in 1972

girls
#110
2,992 births · 1 in 508 girls
boys
#2,659
13 births · 1 in 124,739 boys

Top girls' names in 1972

  1. #1Jennifer63,600
  2. #2Michelle29,285
  3. #3Lisa27,543
  4. #4Kimberly26,282
  5. #5Amy25,873
  6. #6Angela23,561
  7. #7Melissa22,494
  8. #8Stephanie16,890
  9. #9Heather16,320
  10. #10Nicole15,755
  11. #110Carolyn2,992

Top boys' names in 1972

  1. #1Michael71,393
  2. #2Christopher52,172
  3. #3James47,063
  4. #4David46,322
  5. #5John43,158
  6. #6Robert43,013
  7. #7Jason37,423
  8. #8Brian36,306
  9. #9William30,510
  10. #10Matthew22,928
  11. #2,659Carolyn13
More about 1972

girls

1,521,244 girls got a published name in 1972; 1 in 508 of them was named Carolyn, which outranked 98.9% of the 9,666 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carolyn
  1. #107Deanna3,039
  2. #108Kathy3,032
  3. #109Carol3,010
  4. #110Carolyn2,992
  5. #111Janet2,954
  6. #112Kristina2,924
  7. #113Beth2,817
Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 5,804Camisha#6,619#815
  2. 3,921Catina#4,123#202
  3. 1,842Cherilyn#2,665#823
  4. 1,789Chasity#2,542#753
  5. 1,694Keena#2,542#848
Fallers
  1. 517Shayla#836#1,353
  2. 428Raina#798#1,226
  3. 280Kendall#742#1,022
  4. 275Alycia#951#1,226
  5. 255Charisse#727#982

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

boys

1,621,608 boys got a published name in 1972; 1 in 124,739 of them was named Carolyn, which outranked 53.8% of the 5,751 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 26.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carolyn
  1. #2,534Winford14
  2. #2,534Woodie14
  3. #2,534Zoltan14
  4. #2,659Carolyn13
  5. #2,659Acie13
  6. #2,659Akim13
  7. #2,659Alfonza13
  8. #2,819Adams12
  9. #2,819Addam12
  10. #2,819Adriano12

Tied with 159 names at #2,659; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1971
Risers
  1. 2,755Demond#3,146#391
  2. 1,286Cade#2,279#993
  3. 905Vidal#1,526#621
  4. 855Damond#1,784#929
  5. 849Kareem#1,254#405
Fallers
  1. 413Rich#914#1,327
  2. 401Monroe#947#1,348
  3. 317Laura#990#1,307
  4. 309Von#976#1,285
  5. 309Westley#998#1,307

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

See the top 100 for 1972