Carol vs Carolyn

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

Name A

Carol

Girl name · Rank #2630

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Name B

Carolyn

Girl name · Rank #1161

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Carol Carolyn
Current Rank #2630 #1161
Total Births (all years) 816,838 556,593
Peak Year 1946 1947
Peak Year Births 34,283 20,741
Peak Decade 1940ss 1940ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Carol Carolyn
1880ss 120 856
1890ss 394 1,401
1900ss 964 2,009
1910ss 5,585 8,940
1920ss 22,978 22,776
1930ss 117,729 69,525
1940ss 292,330 181,855
1950ss 222,654 124,067
1960ss 112,332 75,267
1970ss 23,476 27,048
1980ss 8,809 18,630
1990ss 4,952 12,885
2000ss 2,727 6,737
2010ss 1,379 3,481
2020ss 409 1,116

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Carol Carolyn
2014 150 375
2015 118 377
2016 129 352
2017 114 326
2018 114 313
2019 112 282
2020 100 270
2021 87 218
2022 82 194
2023 74 228
2024 66 206

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, 1880–2024.

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