Carol

Meaning: Free man
Origin: Variant of Caroline (from Germanic)

Girl's name · #2242 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Carol is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1941, when it ranked #4. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 817,000 girls since 1880, ranked #2242 today.

Across the states

See where Carol is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 5 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Carol ranks in other countries and regions.

#767 in Ecuador (2025).

Famous Carols

Carol Greider — American molecular biologist
Carol Burnett — American actress, comedian and singer (born 1933)
Carol Channing — American actress (1921–2019)
Carol Kane — American actress (born 1952)
Carol Ann Duffy — Scottish poet and playwright (born 1955)

In stories & tradition

Carol Danvers — The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (TV series)
Carol Peletier — The Walking Dead (comics)
Carol Hathaway — ER (TV series)

What Carols become

Among 1,710 notable people named Carol:

Artists & writers appear 1.32× more often than among typical names — e.g. Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright (born 1955).

Similar names: Carolyn · Yvonne · Carla · Diane · Charlene · Karly

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

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