Carole

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Carole

Carole Lombard

American actress (1908-1942)

Choose Carole and your child shares a first name with Carole Lombard, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Carole, like who?” Carole Lombard's Wikipedia article is available in 64 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Carole Lombard on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Metro-Goldwy-Mayer, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 178,571 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Carole, 9 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Carole would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCarole first shows up in US birth records in 1901, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 124 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1942, when it ranked #35. Today it's #10,107, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowCarole was 2.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 75,758 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 178,571.
• 🚀TrendCarole has climbed 2,035 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #10,107. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 💬MeaningCarole is a French form of Caroline, which means “free”. Our records link it to English, French and German roots.

About the name Carole

Carole is a girl name of English, French and German origin meaning “free”. It has 6 letters and 3 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-ole”. US birth records list Carole for girls from 1901 to 2025, in 115 of those 125 years. Its best year was 1942, when it ranked #35 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #10,107, with 9 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGerman names