Carol

Did you know?

A few things about Carol you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Carol

Carol Burnett

American actress, comedian and singer (born 1933)

Choose Carol and your child shares a first name with Carol Burnett, an American actress, comedian and singer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Carol, like who?” Carol Burnett's Wikipedia article is available in 52 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Carol Burnett on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown photographer, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 19,608 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Carol, 82 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Carol would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCarol has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Carols, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1941, when it ranked #4. Today it's #2,239, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowCarol was 3.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 5,640 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 19,608.
• 🍂TrendCarol has slipped 331 places over the last five years and now sits at #2,239. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningCarol is an English form of Charles, which means “free man”. Our records link it to English, French and German roots.

About the name Carol

Carol is a girl name of English, French and German origin meaning “free man”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-rol”. US birth records list Carol for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 145 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1941, when it ranked #4 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,239, with 82 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGerman names