Carole vs Carolyn

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

Name A

Carole

Girl name

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Name B

Carolyn

Girl name · Rank #1161

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Carole Carolyn
Current Rank Unranked #1161
Total Births (all years) 110,677 556,593
Peak Year 1942 1947
Peak Year Births 8,407 20,741
Peak Decade 1940ss 1940ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1901 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Carole Carolyn
1880ss — 856
1890ss — 1,401
1900ss 18 2,009
1910ss 492 8,940
1920ss 2,004 22,776
1930ss 26,768 69,525
1940ss 50,303 181,855
1950ss 16,535 124,067
1960ss 10,564 75,267
1970ss 2,209 27,048
1980ss 941 18,630
1990ss 522 12,885
2000ss 210 6,737
2010ss 95 3,481
2020ss 16 1,116

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Carole Carolyn
2014 11 375
2015 10 377
2016 11 352
2017 8 326
2018 10 313
2019 11 282
2020 7 270
2021 — 218
2022 — 194
2023 9 228
2024 — 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, 1901–2023.

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