Carolyn

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Carolyn

Carolyn Bertozzi

American chemist (born 1966)

Choose Carolyn and your child shares a first name with Carolyn Bertozzi, an American chemist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Carolyn, like who?” Carolyn Bertozzi's Wikipedia article is available in 67 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Carolyn Bertozzi on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Kuebi = Armin Kübelbeck, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 8,688 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Carolyn, 185 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Carolyn would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCarolyn has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Carolyns, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1942, when it ranked #10. Today it's #1,222, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowCarolyn was 4.9× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,761 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 8,688.
• 🍂TrendCarolyn has slipped 275 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,222. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedCarolyn is most popular in Mississippi, where it ranks #441, followed by Kentucky (#498) and South Carolina (#560). It's in the top 1,000 in 10 states.
• 💬MeaningCarolyn is an English form of Caroline, which means “free one”. Our records link it to English, French and German roots.

About the name Carolyn

Carolyn is a girl name of English, French and German origin meaning “free one”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-lyn”. US birth records list Carolyn for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1942, when it ranked #10 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,222, with 185 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGerman names