Carolin
A feminine name of German and Scandinavian origin meaning "free woman".
Name Census estimates that about 877 living Americans carry the first name Carolin. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carolin today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carolin births was 1942 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carolin. 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
877
~ 1 in 390,826 Americans
Peak year
1942
39 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2019 SSA rank
#9,875
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Carolin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carolin from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 291 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carolin 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 Carolin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carolins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Missouri, Oklahoma recorded the most babies named Carolin, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Carolin
Carolin is a feminine given name that originated from the Latin word "Carolus", which means "manly" or "masculine". It is derived from the Germanic name "Karl", which means "free man". The name Carolin became popular during the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe.
The name Carolin has its roots in the Carolingian dynasty, which ruled over a large part of Europe during the 8th and 9th centuries. This dynasty was founded by Charlemagne, whose given name was Carolus Magnus. As a result, the name Carolin became closely associated with royalty and nobility.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Carolin can be found in the 12th century. A Benedictine nun named Carolin von Grünberg, born in 1182, is considered one of the earliest known individuals to bear this name. She was known for her piety and her writings on spiritual matters.
During the Renaissance, the name Carolin gained further popularity. Carolin of Brandenburg (1516-1619) was a German princess and the daughter of Elector Joachim I Nestor of Brandenburg. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, Carolin Schlick (1609-1660) was a German noblewoman and horticulturist. She is credited with introducing the cultivation of tulips to Germany and popularizing the flower among the nobility.
Another notable figure was Carolin Michaelis (1851-1917), a German writer and translator. She was known for her translations of works by authors such as Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, and her contributions to the feminist movement in Germany.
Carolin Gallego de Romano (1918-2022) was a Colombian mathematician and educator. She made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education and was recognized for her efforts in promoting science and technology in Colombia.
Carolin Kebekus (born 1980) is a German comedian and television presenter. She is known for her biting social and political commentary, and her work has been widely acclaimed both in Germany and internationally.
People
Carolin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carolin 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
Carolin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carolin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 877 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carolin 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 390,826 US residents.
Is Carolin a common name?
We classify Carolin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,255 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carolin most popular?
The single biggest year for Carolin was 1942, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carolin is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Carolin a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carolin 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.