Girls' name · since 1901
Carole
Carole has 110,688 recorded births since 1901 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1942 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #349 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,146 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 110,688
- born since 1901
- 1940s
- peak decade
Yes -- Carole is the #10146 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 110,688 recorded since 1901.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carole has been recorded 110,688 times among girls since 1901, currently ranked #10146 nationally and more common than 41% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1901 to 2025.
- #349 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,146 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 110,688 born since 1901
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carole ranks #349 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,146 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 110,688 born since 1901, peaking in the 1940s.
- #349 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,146 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 110,688
- born since 1901
- 1940s
- peak decade
Carole's 110,688 recorded births place it above 99.51% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Carole compares
110,688 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Carole's all-time total is 294x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carole | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 110,688 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,407 | 21 | 19,840 |
Carole's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Carole's full recorded timeline at 1965, 7% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 93% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1901, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1942 peak of 8,407 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Carole popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1901–2025
- Peak year (1942)
- 8,407
- Annual births at peak, across 125 years of records
Carole popularity over time - boys
264 total births recorded since 1932 (Carole as boys' name)
Carole by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (50,303 births, 45% of the file).
1940s was Carole's strongest decade.
50,303 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.
Carole births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 18
1900s
18 births
- 1910s 492
1910s
492 births
- 1920s 2,004
1920s
2,004 births
- 1930s
1930s
26,768 births
- 1940s
1940s
50,303 births
- 1950s 16,535
1950s
16,535 births
- 1960s 10,566
1960s
10,566 births
- 1970s 2,209
1970s
2,209 births
- 1980s 941
1980s
941 births
- 1990s 522
1990s
522 births
- 2000s 210
2000s
210 births
- 2010s 95
2010s
95 births
- 2020s 25
2020s
25 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 50,303 births (45% of all-time use).
How Carole 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 Carole's total volume
Carole by state
Where Carole concentrates geographically, total births since 1901
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 12,860 | 11.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 10,386 | 9.4% |
| #3 | California | | 8,516 | 7.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 8,080 | 7.3% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 7,149 | 6.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 6,102 | 5.5% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 4,990 | 4.5% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 4,602 | 4.2% |
12,860 of 110,688 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Carole appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carole? ▼
Where does Carole sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Carole most popular? ▼
Where is Carole most popular? ▼
How long has the name Carole been used? ▼
What names are similar to Carole? ▼
What to do with Carole's data
- Carole's decade-level peak was the 1940s (50,303 total births); usage has since declined to 25 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Caroles (12,860 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Carole
Nearby Names Like Carole
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carole
Compare Carole side by side: Carole vs Carol Carole vs Carolyn Carole vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carole
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Carole: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1942)
Similar record span (~124 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, 1901–2025 (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 Carole 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.