Carolyn
Girl name · #1222 in 2025 · Very rare
Carolyn ranks #1222 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 185 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #748, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 9,730 girls born in 2025 was named Carolyn.
The 145-year story
Carolyn first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 80 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1947, when 20,742 girls were named Carolyn — good for #15 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Carolyn per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Carolyn against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Carolyn in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Carolyn is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Carolyn will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Carolyn is most common
Geography matters for names, and Carolyn is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Carolyn is most common in OH (0.3 per 1,000), FL (0.1 per 1,000), TX (0.1 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Carolyn is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Carolyn
Statistically, parents drawn to Carolyn tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Marilyn, Sharon, Kathleen, Rosalyn, and Jacquelyn.
MarilynSharonKathleenRosalynJacquelynCynthiaRoslynMaryann
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Carolyn | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 185 | #1222 |
| 2024 | 207 | #1160 |
| 2023 | 228 | #1085 |
| 2022 | 194 | #1239 |
| 2021 | 218 | #1129 |
| 2020 | 270 | #947 |
| 2019 | 282 | #936 |
| 2018 | 313 | #865 |
| 2017 | 326 | #832 |
| 2016 | 352 | #808 |
| 2015 | 377 | #748 |
| 2014 | 375 | #746 |
| 2013 | 347 | #784 |
| 2012 | 361 | #765 |
| 2011 | 371 | #742 |
| 2010 | 378 | #736 |
| 2009 | 426 | #683 |
| 2008 | 448 | #678 |
| 2007 | 495 | #606 |
| 2006 | 587 | #517 |
| 2005 | 626 | #488 |
| 2004 | 731 | #417 |
| 2003 | 701 | #430 |
| 2002 | 822 | #365 |
| 2001 | 870 | #346 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Carolyn a popular girl name?
Carolyn ranked #1222 among girls in 2025 with 185 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #748.
When was the name Carolyn most popular?
Carolyn peaked in 1947, when 20,742 American girls received the name (ranked #15 that year). Since 1947 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Carolyn?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 9,730 newborn American girls was named Carolyn. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.