Carol
About Carol
A Caroline abbreviation that was wildly popular with Mom's generation...or Grandma's. At one time it was a name for baby girls born at Christmas. because of its association with Christmas carols.
Carol began to get popular at the end of the nineteenth century, but its high point was the late 1930s and 1940s, when it was a Top 10 name, reaching as high as Number 4 in 1941.
As of October 2026, Carol ranked #2242 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #4 in 1941, Nameberry popularity #846.
Editor's take: The name Carol is a girl's name of English origin meaning "free man".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,489 | 150 | 84 |
| 2015 | #1,770 | 118 | 66.1 |
| 2016 | #1,662 | 129 | 72.8 |
| 2017 | #1,816 | 114 | 66 |
| 2018 | #1,790 | 114 | 67 |
| 2019 | #1,818 | 112 | 66.7 |
| 2020 | #1,911 | 100 | 61.9 |
| 2021 | #2,154 | 87 | 53 |
| 2022 | #2,275 | 82 | 50 |
| 2023 | #2,422 | 74 | 46.1 |
| 2024 | #2,631 | 66 | 40.7 |
| 2025 | #2,242 | 82 | 51 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Carol.
- Jill
- Cindy
- Debbie
- Judy
- Suzanne
- Donna
- Karen
- Jenny
- Joycelyn
- Bertha
- Cheryl
- Linda
- Patricia
- Janet
- Lizzie
- Tina
- Cammy
- Paula
- Shoshannah
- Pamela
Carol on lists
Famous Carols
- Carol Elaine Channing
American actress and singer
- Carol Creighton Burnett
American actress/comedienne
- Carol Ryrie Brink
American novelist
- Carol Lynley
American actress
- Carol McGiffin
English broadcaster of radio and television
- Carol Vorderman
British media personality
- Carol Ann Shields
American,Canadian novelist
- Carolyn Widney "Carol" Greider
American biologist, winner of the Nobel Prize
- Carol Jane Thatcher
English journalist, daughter of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
- Carol Wayne
American actress
- Carol LeGrant Lewis
American Olympic long jumper
- Carol Harrison
English actress
- Carol Higgins Clark
American mystery novelist, daughter of novelist Mary Higgins Clark
- Carol Ann Duffy
Scottish poet, First woman poet laureate in the UK
- Carol Shepp McCain
American model and White House event planner
- Carol Gracias
Indian model
Carol in pop culture
- Carol Brady
mom on TV's "The Brady Bunch"
- Carol Ferris
character in The Green Lantern comics
- Carol Peletier
character on TV's "The Walking Dead"
- Carol Lockwood
character on TV's "The Vampire Diaries"
- Carol Danvers a.k.a. Ms. Marvel
Marvel Comics character
- Carol Anne Seaver
character on TV's "Growing Pains"
- Carol Anne Freeling
character in the "Poltergeist" film series
- Carol Marcus
character on TV's "Star Trek"
- Carol Russell
character on TV's "American Gothic"
- Carol Ann Jackson
character on British soap "EastEnders"
- Carol Willick
character on TV's "Friends"
- Carol Hathaway Ross
character on TV's "ER"
- Carol Pewterschmidt West
character on TV's "Family Guy"
- Carol Aird
main character in the novel "A Price of Salt"/"Carol", by Patricia Highsmith, and it's 2015 film adaptation, "Carol", played by Cate Blanchett
- Carol McCardy
character on TV's "Mad Men"
- Carol Stills
character on TV's "The Office"
- Carol Baldwin
character on British soap "Coronation Street"
- Carol
character on TV's "The Tomorrow People"
- "Carol
" song by Chuck Berry
- "Oh! Carol
" song by Neil Sedaka
- Carol's Daughter
company for natural haircare and beauty products
- Carol Bernaola (b. 1976) Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Month for January 2000
Twin sister of Darlene Bernaola
- Carol Freeman
character, Captain on the upcoming animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks
- Carol
character in the manga/anime series "The Promised Neverland"
- Carol Murphy
character in series "7th Heaven"