Where does the name Carole come from?

Carole is a girl name of Germanic origin.

Is Carole a boy or a girl name?

Carole is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 110,679 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Carole in 2023?

Carole ranks #10480 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1942 with 8,407 babies.

How do you pronounce Carole?

Carole is pronounced KAIR-ol (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Carole?

Carole is also written as Carol, Karol, Carola.

A name from Germanic · Girl

Carole

A spelling variant of Carol, feminine of Charles — from Germanic karl meaning 'free man'. Independent in 20th-century English usage; the -e spelling is more common in Britain and France.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 122-year arc in numbers.

110,679 U.S. births recorded from 1901–2023.

Popularity · 1901–2023

9 births in 2023

1901 1962 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

CA spelling variant of Carol, feminine of Charles — from Germanic karl meaning 'free man'. Independent in 20th-century English usage; the -e spelling is more common in Britain and France.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Carole".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Carol Most common Karol Carola

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Carole.

C
Carole King (singer-songwriter)
C
Carole Lombard (1930s actress)
C
Carole Bayer Sager (songwriter)

Quick answers

People often ask about Carole.

What does the name Carole mean?: Carole means a spelling variant of Carol, feminine of Charles — from Germanic karl meaning 'free man'. Independent in 20th-century English usage; the -e spelling is more common in Britain and France.
Where does the name Carole come from?: Carole is a girl name of Germanic origin.
Is Carole a boy or a girl name?: Carole is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 110,679 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Carole in 2023?: Carole ranks #10480 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1942 with 8,407 babies.
How do you pronounce Carole?: Carole is pronounced KAIR-ol (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Carole?: Carole is also written as Carol, Karol, Carola.

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Robert

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Bright fame; from 'hrod' (fame) and 'beraht' (bright)

From Old High German Ricohard — rīc, "ruler, power," + hard, "brave, strong" — i

Ruler of the home; estate ruler

Walter

#267

Boy ·Germanic

From Old High German Walthari — wald, "rule," + hari, "army" — i

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.