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
- Peak · girls
- 1942 · 19,978 births
- Debut · girls
- 80 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 44 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 556,777since 1880
Carolyn over time
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #1,222 | 185 | — | |
| 2024 | #1,160 | 207 | — | |
| 2023 | #1,085 | 228 | — | |
| 2022 | #1,239 | 194 | — | |
| 2021 | #1,129 | 218 | — | |
| 2020 | #947 | 270 | — | |
| 2019 | #936 | 282 | — | |
| 2018 | #865 | 313 | — | |
| 2017 | #832 | 326 | — | |
| 2016 | #808 | 352 | — | |
| 2015 | #748 | 377 | — | |
| 2014 | #746 | 375 | — | |
| 2013 | #784 | 347 | — | |
| 2012 | #765 | 361 | — | |
| 2011 | #742 | 371 | — | |
| 2010 | #736 | 378 | — | |
| 2009 | #683 | 426 | — | |
| 2008 | #678 | 448 | — | |
| 2007 | #606 | 495 | — | |
| 2006 | #517 | 587 | — | |
| 2005 | #488 | 626 | — | |
| 2004 | #417 | 731 | — | |
| 2003 | #430 | 701 | — | |
| 2002 | #365 | 822 | — | |
| 2001 | #346 | 870 | — | |
| 2000 | #308 | 1,031 | — | |
| 1999 | #297 | 1,037 | — | |
| 1998 | #327 | 901 | — | |
| 1997 | #276 | 1,061 | — | |
| 1996 | #233 | 1,210 | — | |
| 1995 | #242 | 1,175 | #7,792 | 6 |
| 1994 | #230 | 1,230 | — | |
| 1993 | #200 | 1,479 | — | |
| 1992 | #196 | 1,518 | — | |
| 1991 | #193 | 1,559 | #6,519 | 7 |
| 1990 | #169 | 1,714 | #5,382 | 9 |
| 1989 | #158 | 1,809 | #3,325 | 17 |
| 1988 | #158 | 1,802 | #5,200 | 8 |
| 1987 | #149 | 1,813 | #3,959 | 11 |
| 1986 | #162 | 1,733 | #3,882 | 11 |
| 1985 | #155 | 1,837 | #4,052 | 10 |
| 1984 | #155 | 1,825 | #4,215 | 9 |
| 1983 | #150 | 1,914 | #3,884 | 10 |
| 1982 | #146 | 2,009 | #4,593 | 8 |
| 1981 | #144 | 1,958 | #3,858 | 10 |
| 1980 | #147 | 1,928 | #4,940 | 7 |
| 1979 | #138 | 2,053 | #4,842 | 7 |
| 1978 | #130 | 2,176 | #3,614 | 10 |
| 1977 | #129 | 2,197 | #3,386 | 11 |
| 1976 | #129 | 2,115 | #4,935 | 6 |
| 1975 | #119 | 2,346 | #4,309 | 7 |
| 1974 | #118 | 2,471 | #3,837 | 8 |
| 1973 | #116 | 2,569 | #3,013 | 11 |
| 1972 | #110 | 2,992 | #2,659 | 13 |
| 1971 | #104 | 3,609 | #3,963 | 7 |
| 1970 | #84 | 4,518 | #2,621 | 13 |
| 1969 | #71 | 5,129 | #2,046 | 17 |
| 1968 | #61 | 5,538 | #2,030 | 16 |
| 1967 | #60 | 5,719 | #1,507 | 26 |
| 1966 | #60 | 6,121 | #1,723 | 20 |
| 1965 | #58 | 6,965 | #1,669 | 22 |
| 1964 | #56 | 8,066 | #1,545 | 26 |
| 1963 | #56 | 8,124 | #1,375 | 32 |
| 1962 | #46 | 9,692 | #1,479 | 28 |
| 1961 | #42 | 10,509 | #1,602 | 25 |
| 1960 | #43 | 9,403 | #1,619 | 25 |
| 1959 | #42 | 9,727 | #1,360 | 33 |
| 1958 | #37 | 10,814 | #1,370 | 32 |
| 1957 | #33 | 11,575 | #1,583 | 25 |
| 1956 | #33 | 10,634 | #1,362 | 32 |
| 1955 | #30 | 11,179 | #1,370 | 31 |
| 1954 | #27 | 12,153 | #1,382 | 30 |
| 1953 | #25 | 12,919 | #1,378 | 30 |
| 1952 | #24 | 14,272 | #1,195 | 38 |
| 1951 | #22 | 15,206 | #1,242 | 35 |
| 1950 | #20 | 15,588 | #1,464 | 25 |
| 1949 | #17 | 17,404 | #1,348 | 29 |
| 1948 | #14 | 18,623 | #1,127 | 40 |
| 1947 | #15 | 20,742 | #1,064 | 46 |
| 1946 | #12 | 19,902 | #980 | 47 |
| 1945 | #12 | 17,244 | #899 | 50 |
| 1944 | #11 | 18,670 | #745 | 69 |
| 1943 | #11 | 20,365 | #740 | 76 |
| 1942 | #10 | 19,978 | #839 | 60 |
| 1941 | #11 | 16,273 | #817 | 60 |
| 1940 | #15 | 12,657 | #939 | 46 |
| 1939 | #14 | 11,290 | #992 | 41 |
| 1938 | #15 | 10,586 | #1,009 | 40 |
| 1937 | #20 | 8,941 | #942 | 44 |
| 1936 | #23 | 7,906 | #1,205 | 30 |
| 1935 | #28 | 6,967 | #1,422 | 23 |
| 1934 | #33 | 6,472 | #1,461 | 22 |
| 1933 | #40 | 5,043 | #1,586 | 19 |
| 1932 | #46 | 4,587 | #1,995 | 14 |
| 1931 | #60 | 4,008 | #1,770 | 17 |
| 1930 | #72 | 3,725 | #1,644 | 20 |
| 1929 | #77 | 3,272 | #2,589 | 10 |
| 1928 | #91 | 2,847 | #2,843 | 9 |
| 1927 | #99 | 2,806 | #3,151 | 8 |
| 1926 | #114 | 2,415 | — | |
| 1925 | #127 | 2,189 | #2,936 | 9 |
| 1924 | #127 | 2,222 | #4,347 | 5 |
| 1923 | #132 | 2,010 | #3,467 | 7 |
| 1922 | #144 | 1,706 | — | |
| 1921 | #146 | 1,753 | — | |
| 1920 | #150 | 1,556 | — | |
| 1919 | #165 | 1,330 | — | |
| 1918 | #167 | 1,329 | — | |
| 1917 | #164 | 1,223 | #3,981 | 5 |
| 1916 | #163 | 1,216 | — | |
| 1915 | #168 | 1,096 | #2,458 | 10 |
| 1914 | #169 | 835 | — | |
| 1913 | #170 | 676 | — | |
| 1912 | #189 | 517 | — | |
| 1911 | #185 | 387 | — | |
| 1910 | #199 | 331 | — | |
| 1909 | #194 | 299 | — | |
| 1908 | #200 | 280 | — | |
| 1907 | #254 | 184 | — | |
| 1906 | #235 | 184 | — | |
| 1905 | #213 | 210 | — | |
| 1904 | #227 | 183 | — | |
| 1903 | #241 | 157 | — | |
| 1902 | #224 | 179 | — | |
| 1901 | #237 | 148 | — | |
| 1900 | #231 | 185 | — | |
| 1899 | #231 | 141 | — | |
| 1898 | #225 | 169 | — | |
| 1897 | #227 | 145 | — | |
| 1896 | #227 | 149 | — | |
| 1895 | #227 | 148 | — | |
| 1894 | #219 | 147 | — | |
| 1893 | #211 | 146 | — | |
| 1892 | #239 | 122 | — | |
| 1891 | #230 | 110 | — | |
| 1890 | #217 | 124 | — | |
| 1889 | #199 | 133 | — | |
| 1888 | #203 | 123 | — | |
| 1887 | #208 | 97 | — | |
| 1886 | #222 | 82 | — | |
| 1885 | #208 | 86 | — | |
| 1884 | #218 | 75 | — | |
| 1883 | #234 | 58 | — | |
| 1882 | #217 | 62 | — | |
| 1881 | #195 | 60 | — | |
| 1880 | #163 | 80 | — | |
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
- 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)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1942 at #10 (19,978 births)
- Births halved by 1959, 17 yrs later
- Top 10: 1 yr · 1942
- Top 100: 44 yrs · run 1927–1970
- Top 1,000: 141 yrs · run 1880–2020
- Highest: 1 in 68 girls born in 1942 were named Carolyn (1.5%)
- Latest: 1 in 8,688 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
- 32.7% of all girls named Carolyn (181,858) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 856 | #163 (1880) | #207 |
| 1890s | 1,401 | #211 (1893) | #225 |
| 1900s | 2,009 | #194 (1909) | #226 |
| 1910s | 8,940 | #163 (1916) | #174 |
| 1920s | 22,776 | #77 (1929) | #121 |
| 1930s | 69,525 | #14 (1939) | #35 |
| 1940s | 181,858 | #10 (1942) | #13 |
| 1950s | 124,067 | #20 (1950) | #29 |
| 1960s | 75,266 | #42 (1961) | #55 |
| 1970s | 27,046 | #84 (1970) | #118 |
| 1980s | 18,628 | #144 (1981) | #152 |
| 1990s | 12,884 | #169 (1990) | #236 |
| 2000s | 6,737 | #308 (2000) | #484 |
| 2010s | 3,482 | #736 (2010) | #796 |
| 2020s | 1,302 | #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 1978
Top girls' names in 1978
Top boys' names in 1978
More about 1978
girls
1,531,859 girls got a published name in 1978; 1 in 704 of them was named Carolyn, which outranked 98.9% of the 11,475 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,641,837 boys got a published name in 1978; 1 in 164,184 of them was named Carolyn, which outranked 46.6% of the 6,762 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
- #3,400Wilhelm11
- #3,400Zebulan11
- #3,400Zvi11
- #3,614Carolyn10
- #3,614Abdulla10
- #3,614Adriano10
- #3,614Adrion10
- #3,857Abdur9
- #3,857Adewale9
- #3,857Agostino9
Tied with 242 names at #3,614; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.