Total births
460
Unisex name · since 1938
Karlin
Karlin has 460 recorded births since 1938 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1996 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 460
- total births
- 1938–2023
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 26%
- born in that decade
Karlin sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 460 recorded since 1938.
Karlin has 460 recorded births among girls since 1938, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1938 to 2023.
- 460 total births
- 1938–2023 years on record
- 1990s peak decade
- 26% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
460 girls have been named Karlin since 1938, peaking in the 1990s, last recorded in 2023.
- 460
- total births
- 1938–2023
- years on record
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 26%
- born in that decade
1990s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Karlin was born in this single decade.
1996
Single peak year
16 babies were named Karlin in 1996 - its busiest year on record.
Karlin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Karlin's SSA record in two at 1989 and the more recent half accounts for 56% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 44%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1938, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1996 peak of 16, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Karlin at a glance
Last recorded 2023Peak year
1996
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1938
Karlin popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1938–2023
- Peak year (1996)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 86 years of records
Karlin popularity over time - boys
426 total births recorded since 1953 (Karlin as boys' name)
Karlin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Karlin's strongest decade.
118 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Karlin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1940s 17
1940s
17 births
- 1950s 33
1950s
33 births
- 1960s
1960s
49 births
- 1970s 42
1970s
42 births
- 1980s
1980s
63 births
- 1990s
1990s
118 births
- 2000s
2000s
73 births
- 2010s
2010s
55 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 118 births (26% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karlin? ▼
Karlin has been given to 460 babies in the U.S. since 1938, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2023. 16 babies were born in 1996, its single highest year.
When was Karlin most popular? ▼
Karlin was most popular in the 1990s decade with 118 total births. The single peak year was 1996.
Is Karlin a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Karlin is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 460 births, and as a boy's name it has 426 births.
How long has the name Karlin been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Karlin since 1938 -- 86 years through the most recent 2023 data.
What names are similar to Karlin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Karen, Kara, Karla, Karina, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Karlin's data
- Karlin's decade-level peak was the 1990s (118 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- 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 Karlin
Nearby Names Like Karlin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karlin
Karen Girl
#1251 987,989 births
Kara Girl
#990 101,743 births
Karla Girl
#733 91,586 births
Karina Girl
#772 61,464 births
Kari Girl
#1843 59,696 births
Compare Karlin side by side: Karlin vs Karen Karlin vs Kara Karlin vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1938–2023 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Karlin: Baby Name Since 1938 - 460 Births, Peak 1996." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/karlin. 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 Karlin 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 July 2026.