Total births
816,928
Girls' name · since 1880
Carol
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 816,928 babies named Carol, peaking in 1946. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2639
- among girls today
- 816,928
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Carol currently ranks #2639 among girls' names in America, with 816,928 babies recorded since 1880.
Carol has 816,928 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2639 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of girls, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2639 among girls today
- 816,928 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 85% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Carol is currently the #2639 girls' name in America, more common than 85% of girls - 816,928 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #2639
- among girls today
- 816,928
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Carol vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2639
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 85% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Carol was born in this single decade.
1946
Single peak year
34,284 babies were named Carol in 1946 - its busiest year on record.
How Carol compares
816,928 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Carol's all-time total is 2,139x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carol | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 816,928 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 34,284 | 48 | 19,840 |
Carol's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Carol splits its recorded history at 1953: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1882 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1946 peak of 34,284 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Carol at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1946
Current rank
#2,639
Active since
1880
Carol popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1946)
- 34,284
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Carol popularity over time - boys
8,656 total births recorded since 1884 (Carol as boys' name)
Carol by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Carol's strongest decade.
292,333 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Carol births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 120
1880s
120 births
- 1890s 394
1890s
394 births
- 1900s 964
1900s
964 births
- 1910s 5,585
1910s
5,585 births
- 1920s 22,978
1920s
22,978 births
- 1930s
1930s
117,731 births
- 1940s
1940s
292,333 births
- 1950s
1950s
222,656 births
- 1960s 112,333
1960s
112,333 births
- 1970s 23,477
1970s
23,477 births
- 1980s 8,808
1980s
8,808 births
- 1990s 4,952
1990s
4,952 births
- 2000s 2,727
2000s
2,727 births
- 2010s 1,379
2010s
1,379 births
- 2020s 491
2020s
491 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 292,333 births (36% of all-time use).
How Carol compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Carol's total volume
Carol vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Carol by state
Where Carol concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 86,223 | 10.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 64,888 | 7.9% |
| #3 | California | | 56,927 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 55,311 | 6.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 53,097 | 6.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 44,893 | 5.5% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 30,999 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 30,756 | 3.8% |
New York share of Carol's total US births 10.6%
Even split
86,223 of 816,928 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Carol appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carol? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 816,928 babies named Carol. Today it holds rank #2639 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1946, with 34,284 births.
When was Carol most popular? ▼
Carol was most popular in the 1940s decade with 292,333 total births. The single peak year was 1946.
Where is Carol most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Carol are New York (86,223 births), Pennsylvania (64,888 births), California (56,927 births).
How long has the name Carol been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Carol since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Carol? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Carolyn, Carrie, Caroline, Carla, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Carol's data
- Carol's decade-level peak was the 1940s (292,333 total births); usage has since declined to 491 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Carols (86,223 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Carol
Nearby Names Like Carol
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carol
Carolyn Girl
#1160 556,777 births
Carrie Girl
#3013 266,350 births
Caroline Girl
#92 250,410 births
Carla Girl
#1009 150,390 births
Carmen Girl
#417 142,795 births
Compare Carol side by side: Carol vs Carolyn Carol vs Carrie Carol vs Caroline
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carol
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Carol: #2639 Girls' Name - 816,928 Births, Peak 1946." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/carol. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Carol draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.