Cara vs Carolyn

Side-by-side comparison of Cara and Carolyn — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Cara

Girl name · Rank #1294

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Name B

Carolyn

Girl name · Rank #1161

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Cara Carolyn
Current Rank #1294 #1161
Total Births (all years) 53,135 556,593
Peak Year 1985 1947
Peak Year Births 1,465 20,741
Peak Decade 1980ss 1940ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1882 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Cara Carolyn
1880ss 63 856
1890ss 91 1,401
1900ss 113 2,009
1910ss 219 8,940
1920ss 281 22,776
1930ss 305 69,525
1940ss 492 181,855
1950ss 1,291 124,067
1960ss 5,779 75,267
1970ss 10,413 27,048
1980ss 13,277 18,630
1990ss 9,843 12,885
2000ss 6,034 6,737
2010ss 3,830 3,481
2020ss 1,104 1,116

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Cara Carolyn
2014 421 375
2015 389 377
2016 352 352
2017 318 326
2018 310 313
2019 252 282
2020 288 270
2021 248 218
2022 208 194
2023 182 228
2024 178 206

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1882–2024.

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