Total births
250,410
Girls' name · since 1880
Caroline
250,410 babies named Caroline in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2000. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #92
- among girls today
- 250,410
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.5%
- more common than other girls
250,410 babies have been named Caroline since 1880, making it today's #92 girls' name.
Caroline has 250,410 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #92 as of the latest data, more common than 99.5% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- 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.
- #92 among girls today
- 250,410 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 99.5% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Caroline is currently the #92 girls' name in America, more common than 99.5% of girls - 250,410 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #92
- among girls today
- 250,410
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.5%
- more common than other girls
Caroline vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#92
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.5% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Caroline was born in this single decade.
2000
Single peak year
5,022 babies were named Caroline in 2000 - its busiest year on record.
How Caroline compares
250,410 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Caroline's all-time total is 656x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Caroline | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 250,410 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,022 | 48 | 19,840 |
Caroline's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Caroline splits its recorded history at 1953: 76% of all births land in the more recent half, 24% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1882 (304 births) -- compare that against the 2000 peak of 5,022 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Caroline at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
2000
Current rank
#92
Active since
1880
Caroline popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2000)
- 5,022
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Caroline popularity over time - boys
309 total births recorded since 1891 (Caroline as boys' name)
Caroline by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Caroline's strongest decade.
41,850 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Caroline births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,743
1880s
3,743 births
- 1890s 4,500
1890s
4,500 births
- 1900s 4,276
1900s
4,276 births
- 1910s 10,591
1910s
10,591 births
- 1920s 12,694
1920s
12,694 births
- 1930s 10,844
1930s
10,844 births
- 1940s 11,625
1940s
11,625 births
- 1950s 8,985
1950s
8,985 births
- 1960s
1960s
16,770 births
- 1970s 12,287
1970s
12,287 births
- 1980s
1980s
17,943 births
- 1990s
1990s
36,827 births
- 2000s
2000s
41,850 births
- 2010s
2010s
39,633 births
- 2020s
2020s
17,842 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 41,850 births (17% of all-time use).
How Caroline 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 Caroline's total volume
Caroline vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Caroline by state
Where Caroline concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 20,293 | 8.1% |
| #2 | California | | 16,579 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 15,920 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 13,392 | 5.3% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 10,992 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 10,682 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 9,957 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 9,548 | 3.8% |
New York share of Caroline's total US births 8.1%
Even split
20,293 of 250,410 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Caroline appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Caroline? ▼
Caroline has been given to 250,410 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #92 as of the latest data. 5,022 babies were born in 2000, its single highest year.
When was Caroline most popular? ▼
Caroline was most popular in the 2000s decade with 41,850 total births. The single peak year was 2000.
Where is Caroline most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Caroline are New York (20,293 births), California (16,579 births), Texas (15,920 births).
How long has the name Caroline been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Caroline since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Caroline? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Carol, Carolyn, Carrie, Carla, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Caroline's data
- Caroline's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (41,850 total births) through the 2020s (17,842) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Carolines (20,293 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 Caroline
Nearby Names Like Caroline
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Caroline
Carol Girl
#2639 816,928 births
Carolyn Girl
#1160 556,777 births
Carrie Girl
#3013 266,350 births
Carla Girl
#1009 150,390 births
Carmen Girl
#417 142,795 births
Compare Caroline side by side: Caroline vs Carol Caroline vs Carolyn Caroline vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Caroline
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. "Caroline: #92 Girls' Name - 250,410 Births, Peak 2000." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/caroline. 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 Caroline 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.