Carolyn vs Carol

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

Name A

Carolyn

Girl name · Rank #1160

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Name B

Carol

Girl name · Rank #2639

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Carolyn Carol
Current Rank #1160 #2639
Total Births (all years) 556,777 816,928
Peak Year 1947 1946
Peak Year Births 20,742 34,284
Peak Decade 1940s 1940s
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Carolyn Carol
1880s 856 120
1890s 1,401 394
1900s 2,009 964
1910s 8,940 5,585
1920s 22,776 22,978
1930s 69,525 117,731
1940s 181,858 292,333
1950s 124,067 222,656
1960s 75,266 112,333
1970s 27,046 23,477
1980s 18,628 8,808
1990s 12,884 4,952
2000s 6,737 2,727
2010s 3,482 1,379
2020s 1,302 491

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Carolyn Carol
2014 375 150
2015 377 118
2016 352 129
2017 326 114
2018 313 114
2019 282 112
2020 270 100
2021 218 87
2022 194 82
2023 228 74
2024 207 66
2025 185 82

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, 1880–2025.

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