Girls' name · since 1894
Carola
Since 1894, U.S. Social Security records show 1,170 babies named Carola, peaking in 1961. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #6,736 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,962 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,170
- born since 1894
- 1950s
- peak decade
1,170 babies have been named Carola since 1894, making it today's #10962 girls' name.
Carola has 1,170 recorded births among girls since 1894, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10962 as of the latest data, more common than 37% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1894 to 2025.
- #6,736 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,962 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,170 born since 1894
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carola ranks #6,736 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,962 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,170 born since 1894, peaking in the 1950s.
- #6,736 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,962 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,170
- born since 1894
- 1950s
- peak decade
Carola's 1,170 recorded births place it above 90.68% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Carola compares
1,170 Top 30% higher than 70% of 17,297 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
Carola's all-time total is 3x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carola | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,170 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 29 | 21 | 19,840 |
Carola's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Carola's full recorded timeline at 1955, 45% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 55% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1895, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1961 peak of 29 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Carola popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1894–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 29
- Annual births at peak, across 132 years of records
Carola by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (169 births, 14% of the file).
1950s was Carola's strongest decade.
169 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Carola births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 29
1890s
29 births
- 1900s 34
1900s
34 births
- 1910s
1910s
108 births
- 1920s
1920s
102 births
- 1930s
1930s
120 births
- 1940s
1940s
158 births
- 1950s
1950s
169 births
- 1960s
1960s
157 births
- 1970s
1970s
83 births
- 1980s 50
1980s
50 births
- 1990s 33
1990s
33 births
- 2000s 48
2000s
48 births
- 2010s 39
2010s
39 births
- 2020s 40
2020s
40 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 169 births (14% of all-time use).
How Carola 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 Carola's total volume
Carola by state
Where Carola concentrates geographically, total births since 1894
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 16 | 1.4% |
| #2 | New York | | 16 | 1.4% |
| #3 | Texas | | 11 | 0.9% |
16 of 1,170 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carola? ▼
Where does Carola sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Carola most popular? ▼
Where is Carola most popular? ▼
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What to do with Carola's data
- Carola's decade-level peak was the 1950s (169 total births); usage has since declined to 40 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Carolas (16 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Carola
Nearby Names Like Carola
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carola
Compare Carola side by side: Carola vs Carol Carola vs Carolyn Carola vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carola
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Carola: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1961)
Similar record span (~131 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1894–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Carola 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 August 2026.