Girls' name · peaked in 1881
Caroline name popularity since 1925
220,851 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Caroline. Half of them were born in 1997 or earlier, so the typical Caroline is about 29 years old in 2026. Caroline peaked in 1881 as the #73 name for girls, and it ranked #96 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 220,851
- Named Caroline, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1881
- #73 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #96
- for girls in 2025 (2,646 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% girls
- 220,564 girls · 287 boys
- Most popular in
- South Carolina
- 1.96× its national share
Peak year is the year Caroline made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Caroline births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2000. Measured as a share of all babies, Caroline peaked earlier, in 1881.
- Steepest fall: Between 1942 and 1947, Caroline's share of baby girls fell by 37%, from 1 in 972 to 1 in 1,540.
- Fastest rise: Between 1956 and 1961, it became 3.1× more common, from 1 in 2,860 baby girls to 1 in 918.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Caroline's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Caroline.
Decade by decade
Babies named Caroline in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 5,958 | 8 | – |
| 1930s | 10,844 | 23 | #178 |
| 1940s | 11,625 | 13 | #197 |
| 1950s | 8,985 | 0 | #315 |
| 1960s | 16,770 | 21 | #187 |
| 1970s | 12,287 | 34 | #198 |
| 1980s | 17,943 | 90 | #164 |
| 1990s | 36,827 | 45 | #92 |
| 2000s | 41,850 | 47 | #83 |
| 2010s | 39,633 | 6 | #62 |
| 2020–25 | 17,842 | 0 | #96 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
29.5% of babies named Caroline from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Caroline is most popular
The index compares Caroline's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Caroline.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 1.96× | 6,082 |
| District of Columbia | 1.92× | 1,955 |
| Massachusetts | 1.74× | 9,185 |
| North Carolina | 1.72× | 10,802 |
| Connecticut | 1.70× | 4,083 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Caroline and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Caroline (this page) | 220,564 | 1881 |
| Karoline | 3,831 | 2017 |
| Carolyne | 3,224 | 1942 |
| Caraline | 1,108 | 2011 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Caroline's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Caroline.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Caroline (1881).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data