Karolyn

Where Karolyn comes from

Karolyn hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1912
    First appearance
    #2,634 among girls, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1940
    Karolyn Grimes born
    American actress
  3. 1941
    Peak, #571
    149 babies named Karolyn — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1954
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #1,164.
  5. 1961
    Karolyn Kirby born
    American beach volleyball player
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Karolyn Grimes · American actress, born 1940
  • Karolyn Kirby · American beach volleyball player, born 1961
  • Karolyn Ali · American film producer, 1944–2015

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.