What does the name Caroline mean?

Caroline means free woman; feminine form of Charles.

Where does the name Caroline come from?

Caroline is a girl name of French origin.

Is Caroline a boy or a girl name?

Caroline is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 245,034 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Caroline in 2023?

Caroline ranks #83 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2000 with 5,022 babies.

How do you pronounce Caroline?

Caroline is pronounced KAR-o-line (3 syllables).

What are common spellings of Caroline?

Caroline is also written as Carolina, Carolyn.

A name from French · Girl

Caroline

Free woman; feminine form of Charles.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

245,034 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

2,868 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

CFree woman; feminine form of Charles.

Variants & spellings

2 ways to spell "Caroline".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Carolina Most common Carolyn

Quick answers

People often ask about Caroline.

What does the name Caroline mean?: Caroline means free woman; feminine form of Charles.
Where does the name Caroline come from?: Caroline is a girl name of French origin.
Is Caroline a boy or a girl name?: Caroline is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 245,034 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Caroline in 2023?: Caroline ranks #83 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2000 with 5,022 babies.
How do you pronounce Caroline?: Caroline is pronounced KAR-o-line (3 syllables).
What are common spellings of Caroline?: Caroline is also written as Carolina, Carolyn.

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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.