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By Clare Green · Oct 2026

Caroline

OriginFrench, feminine variation of Charles
Meaning"free man"
GenderBoy & girl
US rank · girls#96

2025 SSA

US rank · boysUnranked

Below 5 births

About Caroline

Caroline is a perennial classic, one of the elite group of girls' names that's ALWAYS ranked among the Top 1000 and that's been in the Top 100 since 1994. Elegant yet strong, Caroline calls to mind the Kennedy Camelot years and Princess Caroline of Monaco.

Caroline went to England in 1705 with King George II's wife, the German Queen Caroline of Ansbach, and then George IV married another German Caroline in 1795.

In the US, Caroline has been a First Lady name via President Benjamin Harrison and was the name of one of the famous First Daughters, Caroline Kennedy.

Jane Austen named one of her less pleasant characters in Pride and Prejudice Caroline, and the name was also borne by Lady Caroline Lamb, the mistress of the poet Lord Byron, as well as the mother of the Little House on the Prairie brood.

The song "Sweet Caroline" was a huge soft-rock hit for Neil Diamond in 1969, inspired by then-eleven-year-old Caroline Kennedy (for whom he sang it at her fiftieth birthday party).

Carolina is the more feminine (and place name) version, as opposed to the newer form Carolyn, which forces the pronunciation of the final syllable to rhyme with win and spin. Though Caroline can be pronounced that way, it's more usually pronounced to rhyme with wine and fine.

Caroline is also given to boys.

Pronounced KAR-uh-lyn.

As of October 2026, Caroline ranked #96 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #55 in 2017, Nameberry popularity #60.

Popularity & trends

US popularity — history
US rank, lower is more popular · SSA data 2014–2025
Girls #96
Boys #4,000
#60#80'14'16'18'20'22'24
20142025
18802025
Data table
YearUS rank · girlsBirths · girlsUS rank · boysBirths · boys
2014#594,347—0
2015#624,333—0
2016#564,437—0
2017#554,294—0
2018#564,167—0
2019#613,919—0
2020#713,362—0
2021#803,202—0
2022#773,029—0
2023#832,868—0
2024#922,720—0
2025#962,646—0
Popularity history from more than a century of Social Security Administration birth records. Years without a line are years the name fell below the published records.

See the Berry Trend for All Names

World rankings

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Caroline on lists

Top 2020s Baby NamesGirl
Preppy Baby NamesGirl
Baby Names Headed for HarvardGirl
Royal Names for GirlsGirl
Vintage Girl NamesGirl
Mad Men NamesGirl
Vintage Baby NamesGirl
Classic Girl Names Girl
Victorian Royal Baby NamesGirl
Traditional Baby NamesGirl
Top 2000s Baby NamesGirl
Rock Star Baby NamesGirl
Top 2010s NamesGirl
Royal NamesGirl
Nameberry's Top Girl Names of the 2010sGirl
Coolated Girls' NamesGirl
Classic Rock Baby NamesGirl
Colonial Names for GirlsGirl
Jane Austen Baby Names Girl
335+ Colonial Names from the 1700sGirl
Victorian Girl NamesGirl
Names That Mean Freedom or FreeGirl
Victorian Names from the 1800sGirl
Millennial NamesGirl
The Witcher NamesGirl
Girl Names Like CharlotteGirl
Three Syllable Girl NamesGirl
Names With Lots of SpellingsGirl
TV Mom NamesGirl
Feminizations of Male NamesGirl
Girl Names Always in the Top 1000Girl
Girl Names That End in een, ene, or ineGirl
Top 100 Girl Names 2024Girl
French NamesGirl
French Names for GirlsGirl
8 Letter Girl NamesGirl
Names Ending in E for GirlsGirl
Names That Mean ManGirl
Names That Mean FreeGirl
Names That Mean VariationGirl
Names That Mean FeminineGirl
Three Syllable Names for GirlsGirl
Girl Dog Names That Start With CGirl
Dog Names That Start With CGirl
Animal Names for GirlsGirl
French Names that Start With CGirl
Girls Names That Start With CGirl
Boys Names That Start With CBoy

Famous Carolines

  • (Wilhelmina Charlotte) Caroline of (BrandenburgGirl

    )Ansbach, Queen consort of George II of Great Britain

  • Caroline Amalie of SchleswigGirl

    Holstein,Sonderburg,Augustenburg, Queen consort of Christian VIII of Denmark

  • Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick(Girl

    Wolfenbüttel), Queen consort of George IV of Great Britain

  • Caroline of Baden (born Friederike Karoline Wilhelmine)Girl

    Queen consort of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria

  • Caroline Matilda of Great BritainGirl

    Queen consort of Christian VII of Denmark and Norway

  • Caroline Louise Marguerite GrimaldiGirl

    Princess of Hanover (Monaco)

  • Caroline Celico Leite (née Lyra)Girl

    Brazilian socialite and singer, wife of football player Kaká

  • Caroline Stilwell BurckleGirl

    American Olympic swimmer

  • Caroline CatzGirl

    English actress

  • Caroline B. CooneyGirl

    American novelist

  • Caroline CorinthGirl

    Danish model

  • Caroline CostaGirl

    French singer

  • Caroline WatsonGirl

    British stylist

  • Caroline D'AmoreGirl

    American DJ

  • Caroline Grace Elizabeth WilliamsGirl

    singer of Christian pop group pureNRG

  • Caroline Louise FlackGirl

    English television presenter

  • Caroline Cruice GoodallGirl

    English actress

  • Caroline Bouvier KennedyGirl

    U.S. Ambassador, daughter of President John F. Kennedy

  • Caroline Patricia LucasGirl

    English MP

  • Caroline JacksonGirl

    English MEP

  • Caroline LeafGirl

    Canadian,American film director

  • Caroline LeavittGirl

    American novelist

  • Caroline Brasch NielsenGirl

    Danish model

  • Caroline Lake Quiner IngallsGirl

    mother of novelist Laura Ingalls Wilder

  • Caroline "Carrie" Ingalls SwanzeyGirl

    sister of novelist Laura Ingalls Wilder

  • Caroline Adelaide ShawGirl

    American musician

  • Caroline Amelia SmithGirl

    daughter of William Smith & Abigail "Nabby" Adams

  • Caroline SunshineGirl

    American actress

  • Caroline Aparecida TrentiniGirl

    Brazilian fashion model

  • Caroline Ann O'ConnorGirl

    Anglo,Australian singer

  • Caroline PennellGirl

    American singer

  • Caroline GlaserGirl

    American singer

  • Caroline GlickGirl

    journalist

  • Caroline HjeltGirl

    co,member of duo Icona Pop

  • Caroline MyssGirl

    American author

  • Caroline ManzoGirl

    TV personality

  • Caroline ProustGirl

    actress

  • Caroline QuentinGirl

    English actress

  • Caroline EllisGirl

    actress

  • Caroline RheaGirl

    Canadian comedienne

  • Caroline DhavernasGirl

    French,Canadian actress

  • Caroline WozniackiGirl

    Danish tennis player

  • Caroline ZhangGirl

    American figure skater

  • Caroline HerringGirl

    American singer,songwriter

  • Caroline OgnibeneGirl

    American child model; twin of brother Peter

  • Caroline HerschelGirl

    German astronomer

  • Caroline WeirGirl

    Scottish footballer

  • Caroline Judith BotelhoGirl

    American actress

  • Caroline Olivia Manning (b. 2015)Girl

    daughter of NFL player Eli Manning

  • Caroline Boone Estabrook (b. 2016)Girl

    daughter of actress Megan Boone

  • Caroline "Caro" ViehwegGirl

    Contestant and third-place finisher on Season 1 of Love Island USA

Caroline in pop culture

  • Caroline ChanningGirl

    character on TV's "2 Broke Girls"

  • Caroline ForbesGirl

    character in book and TV series "The Vampire Diaries"

  • Caroline BingleyGirl

    character in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"

  • Caroline MathersGirl

    character in John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars"

  • Caroline McKinleyGirl

    character in book "Monument 14" by Emmy Laybourne

  • Caroline FarrellGirl

    character on TV's "Dollhouse"

  • Caroline KraftGirl

    character in movie "Mean Girls"

  • Caroline HoldenGirl

    character on TV's "Baywatch"

  • Caroline AbbottGirl

    character in the American Girl series

  • Caroline MortierGirl

    character in 1951 French movie "Edward and Caroline"

  • Caroline DuffyGirl

    character on TV's "Caroline in the City"

  • Caroline MitchellGirl

    character in movie "Serendipity"

  • Caroline JulianGirl

    character on TV's "Bones"

  • Caroline WuGirl

    character in the "Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls" series

  • Caroline Martha HubbardGirl

    also known as Linda Arden, character in Hercule Poirot series

  • CarolineGirl

    character in video game "Portal"

  • Caroline ThibodeauxGirl

    main character in musical "Caroline, Or Change"

  • Caroline Irene "Carreen" O'HaraGirl

    character in "Gone with the Wind"

  • Caroline "Carol" FerrisGirl

    character in DC Universe

  • Caroline PenvenenGirl

    later Caroline Enys, character in TV's Poldark

  • Miss CarolineGirl

    character in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird"

  • Caroline RecordsGirl

    record label

  • "Caroline No"Girl

    a song by the Beach Boys

  • "CarolineGirl

    Yes", a song by the Kaiser Chiefs

  • "Sweet CarolineGirl

    " song by Neil Diamond

  • "CarolineGirl

    " song by Old Crow Medicine Show

  • Radio CarolineGirl

    one of the first pirate radio stations in the UK

  • Caroline TalbotGirl

    character in Downton Abbey

  • Caroline "Caro"Girl

    character in novel "Emmy & Oliver"

  • CarolineGirl

    character in the video game "Stardew Valley"

  • Caroline CoughsGirl

    Character from the webcomic "Sparklecare Hospital"

  • Caroline QueenGirl

    character in novel "The Truth About Forever"

  • Caroline ApplebyGirl

    character in “I Love Lucy”

Variations & nicknames

More nicknames

Caroline in blog posts

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Community discussions

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