Caroline

Meaning: Free man
Origin: Germanic — French feminine form of Charles

Nicknames: Carrie, Cal, Cary, Callie, Caro

Girl's name · #96 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Caroline reached its best rank, #55, in 2017 and ranked #96 in 2025. About 250,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco chose the name for their daughter, Caroline, born in January 1957. US births of Caroline rose from 702 in 1956 to 1,137 in 1957. Another rise came from 1,210 in 1960 to 2,198 in 1961, as John F. Kennedy took office with his daughter Caroline in the White House.

Across the states

See where Caroline is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 49 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Caroline ranks in other countries and regions.

#190 in Austria (2025) · #381 in Ireland (2025) · #392 in Norway (2025) · #447 in Ecuador (2025) · #533 in Canada (2025) · #548 in Switzerland (2025) · #612 in Poland (2025) · #782 in Sweden (2025) · #842 in Italy (2024) · #892 in France (2025) · #1,271 in England & Wales (2025) · #867 in Belgium (2024) and 9 more.

Famous Carolines

Caroline Wozniacki — Danish tennis player (born 1990)
Caroline Herschel — German-British astronomer (1750–1848)
Caroline Kennedy — American author and diplomat (born 1957)
Caroline of Ansbach — Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 to 1737 (1683–1737)
Caroline Bonaparte — Princess Murat (1782–1839)
Caroline Rhea — Canadian actress and comedian (born 1964)
Caroline Sunshine — American political aide and former actress (born 1995)
Caroline of Brunswick — Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 1820 to 1821 (1768–1821)
Caroline Munro — English actress and model (born 1949)
Caroline Matilda of Great Britain — Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1766 to 1772 (1751–1775)

In stories & tradition

Caroline Reynolds^it — Prison Break (TV series)
Caroline Forbes — The Vampire Diaries (TV series)
Caroline Spencer — The Bold and the Beautiful (TV series)

What Carolines become

Among 3,745 notable people named Caroline:

Medical professionals appear 1.57× more often than among typical names — e.g. Caroline Still Anderson, American physician (1848–1919).

Spellings & nicknames

About 1,700 girls a year are given Callie as their full name and 66 Carrie.

Similar names: Callie · Autumn · Carolina · Madeline · Allison · Claire

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service