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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201973peak #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 1973

girls
#116
2,569 births · 1 in 568 girls
boys
#3,013
11 births · 1 in 141,689 boys

Top girls' names in 1973

  1. #1Jennifer62,448
  2. #2Amy26,962
  3. #3Michelle26,935
  4. #4Kimberly23,531
  5. #5Lisa22,677
  6. #6Melissa22,479
  7. #7Angela20,898
  8. #8Heather19,347
  9. #9Stephanie17,263
  10. #10Rebecca14,868
  11. #116Carolyn2,569

Top boys' names in 1973

  1. #1Michael67,797
  2. #2Christopher48,313
  3. #3Jason46,683
  4. #4James42,836
  5. #5David41,082
  6. #6John39,165
  7. #7Robert38,698
  8. #8Brian35,686
  9. #9William28,018
  10. #10Matthew24,531
  11. #3,013Carolyn11
More about 1973

girls

1,458,209 girls got a published name in 1973; 1 in 568 of them was named Carolyn, which outranked 98.8% of the 9,810 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Carolyn
  1. #113Yolanda2,754
  2. #114Carla2,686
  3. #115Diane2,603
  4. #116Carolyn2,569
  5. #117Beth2,563
  6. #118Katrina2,522
  7. #119Janet2,521
Biggest movers since 1972
Risers
  1. 4,091Cicely#4,793#702
  2. 2,295Aubrey#3,177#882
  3. 1,847Nyree#2,680#833
  4. 1,533Danyell#2,523#990
  5. 1,496Vonetta#2,311#815
Fallers
  1. 1,814Camisha#815#2,629
  2. 470Andra#904#1,374
  3. 416Cherilyn#823#1,239
  4. 284Keena#848#1,132
  5. 281Nicolle#734#1,015

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

boys

1,558,576 boys got a published name in 1973; 1 in 141,689 of them was named Carolyn, which outranked 48.7% of the 5,877 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. #2,857Wilber12
  2. #2,857Ysidro12
  3. #2,857Zev12
  4. #3,013Carolyn11
  5. #3,013Abdullah11
  6. #3,013Addam11
  7. #3,013Aharon11
  8. #3,223Adron10
  9. #3,223Akida10
  10. #3,223Albino10

Tied with 209 names at #3,013; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1972
Risers
  1. 2,348Vashon#3,152#804
  2. 1,405Jory#2,158#753
  3. 348Pernell#1,262#914
  4. 345Enoch#1,307#962
  5. 273Tarik#1,177#904
Fallers
  1. 669Jabbar#917#1,586
  2. 361Wes#993#1,354
  3. 326Paris#797#1,123
  4. 284Christophe#984#1,268
  5. 272Bennett#851#1,123

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

See the top 100 for 1973