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Carolyn

“Variant of Caroline — Free man” — Germanic, via French origin

Girl's name · #1222 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Carolyn has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #10 (1942) · 556,777 babies named Carolyn all-time · 1 in 8,300 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 13,000 girls in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 26 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Carolyns

• Carolyn Bertozzi — American chemist (born 1966)
• Carolyn S. Shoemaker — American astronomer, researcher and university teacher
• Carolyn Porco — American planetary scientist
• Carolyn Jones — American actress (1930–1983)
• Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy — American publicist and socialite (1966–1999)

In stories & tradition

• Carolyn Barek — Law & Order
• Carolyn Lam — Stargate SG-1
• Carolyn Stoddard — Dark Shadows

What Carolyns become

Among 877 notable people named Carolyn:

Scientists & scholars appear 1.4× more often than among typical names — e.g. Carolyn Bertozzi, American chemist (born 1966).

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

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