Girls' name · since 1912
Karolyn
Since 1912, U.S. Social Security records show 5,957 babies named Karolyn, peaking in 1946. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2,292 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #6,344 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,957
- born since 1912
- 1940s
- peak decade
Yes -- Karolyn is the #6344 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 5,957 recorded since 1912.
Social Security Administration records show Karolyn recorded 5,957 times among girls since 1912, holding rank #6344 nationally today, ahead of 63% of girls, peaking in the 1940s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- #2,292 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #6,344 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 5,957 born since 1912
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Karolyn ranks #2,292 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,344 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 5,957 born since 1912, peaking in the 1940s.
- #2,292 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #6,344 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,957
- born since 1912
- 1940s
- peak decade
Karolyn's 5,957 recorded births place it above 96.83% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Karolyn compares
5,957 Top 13% higher than 87% 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
Karolyn's all-time total is 16x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Karolyn | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,957 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 167 | 21 | 19,840 |
Karolyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Karolyn's SSA record in two at 1969 and the more recent half accounts for 40% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 60%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1913, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1946 peak of 167, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Karolyn popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (1946)
- 167
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Karolyn by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (1,355 births, 23% of the file).
1940s was Karolyn's strongest decade.
1,355 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Karolyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 47
1910s
47 births
- 1920s 111
1920s
111 births
- 1930s 472
1930s
472 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,355 births
- 1950s
1950s
791 births
- 1960s
1960s
869 births
- 1970s
1970s
651 births
- 1980s 470
1980s
470 births
- 1990s 468
1990s
468 births
- 2000s 360
2000s
360 births
- 2010s 252
2010s
252 births
- 2020s 111
2020s
111 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 1,355 births (23% of all-time use).
How Karolyn 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 Karolyn's total volume
Karolyn by state
Where Karolyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1912
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 445 | 7.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 272 | 4.6% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 249 | 4.2% |
| #4 | New York | | 228 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Iowa | | 169 | 2.8% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 156 | 2.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 136 | 2.3% |
| #8 | Kansas | | 113 | 1.9% |
445 of 5,957 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.
Karolyn appears in 25 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karolyn? ▼
Where does Karolyn sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Karolyn most popular? ▼
Where is Karolyn most popular? ▼
How long has the name Karolyn been used? ▼
What names are similar to Karolyn? ▼
What to do with Karolyn's data
- Karolyn's decade-level peak was the 1940s (1,355 total births); usage has since declined to 111 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karolyns (445 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 Karolyn
Nearby Names Like Karolyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karolyn
Compare Karolyn side by side: Karolyn vs Karen Karolyn vs Kara Karolyn vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Karolyn
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Karolyn: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1946)
Similar record span (~113 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, 1912–2025 (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 Karolyn 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.