Caralyn
A feminine name of English origin meaning "little, feminine carol".
Name Census estimates that about 1,031 living Americans carry the first name Caralyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Caralyn today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caralyn births was 1998 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caralyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 332,448 Americans
Peak year
1998
33 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,462
Tracked since 1937
Popularity
Caralyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caralyn from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 216 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caralyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caralyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Caralyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Caralyn, while Pennsylvania, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caralyn
The name Caralyn is an English feminine given name of relatively modern origin, emerging in the 20th century. It is a combination of the name Carol, which derives from the French word "carole" meaning a circular dance or song, and the suffix "-lyn" which has its roots in the Welsh language, meaning "small lake" or "pool."
While the exact origins of the name Caralyn are not entirely clear, it is believed to have been coined as a unique and creative variation of the more traditional name Carol, possibly inspired by the growing popularity of adding unique suffixes to existing names during the mid-20th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caralyn can be found in the United States Social Security Administration's records, which show a small number of individuals being given this name as early as the 1940s. However, it was not until the latter half of the 20th century that the name gained more widespread use.
Caralyn Rose Mirand, an American author and poet born in 1943, is one of the earliest notable individuals to bear this name. Her works, which often explore themes of nature and spirituality, have garnered critical acclaim and have been widely published.
Another prominent figure named Caralyn is Caralyn Bushey, a Canadian actress and television personality born in 1960. She is best known for her roles in various Canadian television series throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
In the field of academia, Caralyn Mushill stands out as a distinguished professor of linguistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Born in 1952, she has made significant contributions to the study of language acquisition and language development.
Moving into the realm of sports, Caralyn Hill is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. Born in 1968, she achieved a career-high ranking of No. 25 in the world during the 1990s and won several singles and doubles titles on the WTA Tour.
Finally, Caralyn Kozlowski is an American artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States. Born in 1975, she is particularly renowned for her intricate glass sculptures and installations.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals who have borne the name Caralyn throughout history, showcasing its enduring appeal and adaptability across various cultures and contexts.
People
Caralyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caralyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caralyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caralyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,031 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caralyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 332,448 US residents.
Is Caralyn a common name?
We classify Caralyn as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,142 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caralyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Caralyn was 1998, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caralyn is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Caralyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caralyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.