Girls' name · since 1917
Carolynn
6,453 babies named Carolynn in U.S. Social Security records since 1917, with the highest year being 1942. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2,189 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,397 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,453
- born since 1917
- 1940s
- peak decade
Yes -- Carolynn is the #3397 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 6,453 recorded since 1917.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carolynn has been recorded 6,453 times among girls since 1917, currently ranked #3397 nationally and more common than 80% 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 1917 to 2025.
- #2,189 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,397 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 6,453 born since 1917
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Carolynn ranks #2,189 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,397 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 6,453 born since 1917, peaking in the 1940s.
- #2,189 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,397 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,453
- born since 1917
- 1940s
- peak decade
Carolynn's 6,453 recorded births place it above 96.97% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
26 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Carolynn compares
6,453 Top 12% higher than 88% 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
Carolynn's all-time total is 17x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Carolynn | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,453 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 169 | 21 | 19,840 |
Carolynn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Carolynn's full recorded timeline at 1972, 39% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 61% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1918, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1942 peak of 169 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Carolynn popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–2025
- Peak year (1942)
- 169
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
Carolynn by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (1,467 births, 23% of the file).
1940s was Carolynn's strongest decade.
1,467 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Carolynn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 21
1910s
21 births
- 1920s 96
1920s
96 births
- 1930s 435
1930s
435 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,467 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,000 births
- 1960s
1960s
792 births
- 1970s 540
1970s
540 births
- 1980s 519
1980s
519 births
- 1990s 454
1990s
454 births
- 2000s 449
2000s
449 births
- 2010s 440
2010s
440 births
- 2020s 240
2020s
240 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 1,467 births (23% of all-time use).
How Carolynn 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 Carolynn's total volume
Carolynn by state
Where Carolynn concentrates geographically, total births since 1917
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 627 | 9.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 301 | 4.7% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 285 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 247 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 226 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 174 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 111 | 1.7% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 103 | 1.6% |
627 of 6,453 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.
Carolynn appears in 26 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Carolynn? ▼
Where does Carolynn sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Carolynn most popular? ▼
Where is Carolynn most popular? ▼
How long has the name Carolynn been used? ▼
What names are similar to Carolynn? ▼
What to do with Carolynn's data
- Carolynn's decade-level peak was the 1940s (1,467 total births); usage has since declined to 240 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Carolynns (627 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 Carolynn
Nearby Names Like Carolynn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Carolynn
Compare Carolynn side by side: Carolynn vs Carol Carolynn vs Carolyn Carolynn vs Carrie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Carolynn
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Carolynn: 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 (~108 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, 1917–2025 (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 Carolynn 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.