Carolyn was a hugely popular girls' name that peaked at #10 in 1942 but is far less common today.
Carolyn is predominantly a girl name. In 2025 it ranked #1,222 for girl births in the United States (and #2,328 across all names), given to 185 babies. Carolyn was first reported in SSA data in 1880 and peaked in 1947 (20,742 births).
| Year | U.S. births | U.S. + territories | ♀ Rank | ♂ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 185 | 185 | #1,222 | — |
| 2024 | 207 | 207 | #1,160 | — |
| 2023 | 228 | 228 | #1,085 | — |
| 2022 | 194 | 194 | #1,240 | — |
| 2021 | 218 | 218 | #1,129 | — |
| 2020 | 270 | 270 | #947 | — |
| 2019 | 282 | 282 | #936 | — |
| 2018 | 313 | 313 | #866 | — |
| 2017 | 326 | 326 | #833 | — |
| 2016 | 352 | 352 | #809 | — |
| 2015 | 377 | 377 | #748 | — |
| 2014 | 375 | 375 | #747 | — |
| 2013 | 347 | 347 | #785 | — |
| 2012 | 361 | 361 | #765 | — |
| 2011 | 371 | 371 | #742 | — |
| 2010 | 378 | 378 | #736 | — |
| 2009 | 426 | 426 | #683 | — |
| 2008 | 448 | 448 | #678 | — |
| 2007 | 495 | 495 | #606 | — |
| 2006 | 587 | 593 | #517 | — |
| 2005 | 626 | 631 | #489 | — |
| 2004 | 731 | 736 | #418 | — |
| 2003 | 701 | 708 | #430 | — |
| 2002 | 822 | 822 | #365 | — |
| 2001 | 870 | 878 | #346 | — |
| 2000 | 1,031 | 1,046 | #308 | — |
| 1999 | 1,037 | 1,047 | #297 | — |
| 1998 | 901 | 917 | #327 | — |
| 1997 | 1,061 | — | #276 | — |
| 1996 | 1,210 | — | #233 | — |
| 1995 | 1,181 | — | #242 | #7,943 |
| 1994 | 1,230 | — | #230 | — |
| 1993 | 1,479 | — | #200 | — |
| 1992 | 1,518 | — | #196 | — |
| 1991 | 1,566 | — | #193 | #6,610 |
| 1990 | 1,723 | — | #169 | #5,438 |
| 1989 | 1,826 | — | #158 | #3,338 |
| 1988 | 1,810 | — | #159 | #5,266 |
| 1987 | 1,824 | — | #149 | #4,003 |
| 1986 | 1,744 | — | #162 | #3,914 |
| 1985 | 1,847 | — | #155 | #4,089 |
| 1984 | 1,834 | — | #155 | #4,256 |
| 1983 | 1,924 | — | #150 | #3,918 |
| 1982 | 2,017 | — | #146 | #4,652 |
| 1981 | 1,968 | — | #144 | #3,890 |
| 1980 | 1,935 | — | #147 | #5,007 |
| 1979 | 2,060 | — | #138 | #4,918 |
| 1978 | 2,186 | — | #130 | #3,639 |
| 1977 | 2,208 | — | #129 | #3,415 |
| 1976 | 2,121 | — | #129 | #5,012 |
| 1975 | 2,353 | — | #119 | #4,382 |
| 1974 | 2,479 | — | #118 | #3,889 |
| 1973 | 2,580 | — | #116 | #3,043 |
| 1972 | 3,005 | — | #110 | #2,676 |
| 1971 | 3,616 | — | #104 | #4,024 |
| 1970 | 4,531 | — | #84 | #2,639 |
| 1969 | 5,146 | — | #71 | #2,058 |
| 1968 | 5,554 | — | #61 | #2,043 |
| 1967 | 5,745 | — | #60 | #1,511 |
| 1966 | 6,141 | — | #60 | #1,729 |
| 1965 | 6,987 | — | #58 | #1,674 |
| 1964 | 8,092 | — | #56 | #1,550 |
| 1963 | 8,156 | — | #56 | #1,378 |
| 1962 | 9,720 | — | #46 | #1,480 |
| 1961 | 10,534 | — | #42 | #1,606 |
| 1960 | 9,428 | — | #43 | #1,627 |
| 1959 | 9,760 | — | #42 | #1,362 |
| 1958 | 10,846 | — | #37 | #1,374 |
| 1957 | 11,600 | — | #33 | #1,586 |
| 1956 | 10,666 | — | #33 | #1,363 |
| 1955 | 11,210 | — | #30 | #1,373 |
| 1954 | 12,183 | — | #27 | #1,385 |
| 1953 | 12,949 | — | #25 | #1,380 |
| 1952 | 14,310 | — | #24 | #1,197 |
| 1951 | 15,241 | — | #22 | #1,244 |
| 1950 | 15,613 | — | #20 | #1,472 |
| 1949 | 17,433 | — | #17 | #1,349 |
| 1948 | 18,663 | — | #14 | #1,128 |
| 1947 | 20,788 | — | #15 | #1,064 |
| 1946 | 19,949 | — | #12 | #985 |
| 1945 | 17,294 | — | #12 | #900 |
| 1944 | 18,739 | — | #11 | #745 |
| 1943 | 20,441 | — | #11 | #741 |
| 1942 | 20,038 | — | #10 | #841 |
| 1941 | 16,333 | — | #11 | #820 |
| 1940 | 12,703 | — | #15 | #942 |
| 1939 | 11,331 | — | #14 | #994 |
| 1938 | 10,626 | — | #15 | #1,012 |
| 1937 | 8,985 | — | #20 | #942 |
| 1936 | 7,936 | — | #23 | #1,209 |
| 1935 | 6,990 | — | #28 | #1,426 |
| 1934 | 6,494 | — | #33 | #1,466 |
| 1933 | 5,062 | — | #40 | #1,599 |
| 1932 | 4,601 | — | #46 | #2,010 |
| 1931 | 4,025 | — | #60 | #1,780 |
| 1930 | 3,745 | — | #72 | #1,649 |
| 1929 | 3,282 | — | #77 | #2,623 |
| 1928 | 2,856 | — | #91 | #2,883 |
| 1927 | 2,814 | — | #99 | #3,201 |
| 1926 | 2,415 | — | #114 | — |
| 1925 | 2,198 | — | #127 | #2,962 |
| 1924 | 2,227 | — | #127 | #4,446 |
| 1923 | 2,017 | — | #132 | #3,517 |
| 1922 | 1,706 | — | #144 | — |
| 1921 | 1,753 | — | #146 | — |
| 1920 | 1,556 | — | #150 | — |
| 1919 | 1,330 | — | #165 | — |
| 1918 | 1,329 | — | #167 | — |
| 1917 | 1,228 | — | #164 | #4,075 |
| 1916 | 1,216 | — | #163 | — |
| 1915 | 1,106 | — | #168 | #2,477 |
| 1914 | 835 | — | #169 | — |
| 1913 | 676 | — | #170 | — |
| 1912 | 517 | — | #189 | — |
| 1911 | 387 | — | #185 | — |
| 1910 | 331 | — | #199 | — |
| 1909 | 299 | — | #194 | — |
| 1908 | 280 | — | #200 | — |
| 1907 | 184 | — | #254 | — |
| 1906 | 184 | — | #235 | — |
| 1905 | 210 | — | #213 | — |
| 1904 | 183 | — | #227 | — |
| 1903 | 157 | — | #241 | — |
| 1902 | 179 | — | #224 | — |
| 1901 | 148 | — | #237 | — |
| 1900 | 185 | — | #231 | — |
| 1899 | 141 | — | #231 | — |
| 1898 | 169 | — | #225 | — |
| 1897 | 145 | — | #227 | — |
| 1896 | 149 | — | #227 | — |
| 1895 | 148 | — | #227 | — |
| 1894 | 147 | — | #219 | — |
| 1893 | 146 | — | #211 | — |
| 1892 | 122 | — | #239 | — |
| 1891 | 110 | — | #230 | — |
| 1890 | 124 | — | #217 | — |
| 1889 | 133 | — | #199 | — |
| 1888 | 123 | — | #203 | — |
| 1887 | 97 | — | #208 | — |
| 1886 | 82 | — | #222 | — |
| 1885 | 86 | — | #209 | — |
| 1884 | 75 | — | #218 | — |
| 1883 | 58 | — | #234 | — |
| 1882 | 62 | — | #217 | — |
| 1881 | 60 | — | #195 | — |
| 1880 | 80 | — | #163 | — |