Karlyne
A feminine name of French origin derived from the Germanic name Charles.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Karlyne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Karlyne today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karlyne births was 1950 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karlyne. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Karlyne is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Karlynes were born before 1966.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Karlyne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1950
7 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1962 SSA rank
#6,188
Tracked since 1950
Census
Karlyne in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 114 people with the first name Karlyne, which placed it at #51,355 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#51,355
National first-name rank
People counted
114
114 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karlyne
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karlyne is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Hispanic (13.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Karlyne described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Karlyne at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.0% · 57
- Black or African American21.9% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino13.2% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 11
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Popularity
Karlyne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karlyne from the 1950s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 7 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karlyne 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 Karlyne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karlynes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Karlyne
The given name Karlyne originated from the Germanic name Karl, which was derived from the word "karl" meaning "free man" or "husband." This name gained popularity during the medieval period and was often associated with rulers and aristocrats.
In the 8th century, the name Karl became particularly renowned due to the reign of Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, who was the King of the Franks and later the Holy Roman Emperor. He played a pivotal role in the spread and adoption of Christianity throughout Western Europe.
The feminine form of the name, Karlyne, emerged as a variation of the more common names like Karla or Carla. It is believed to have been first used in the late 19th or early 20th century, although records of its exact origin remain scarce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karlyne dates back to the 1920s, when an American actress named Karlyne Benefield appeared in several silent films. Unfortunately, details about her life and the significance of her name are limited.
Another notable bearer of the name Karlyne was Karlyne Anspach, an American stage and film actress born in 1946. She appeared in various Broadway productions and received critical acclaim for her performances.
In the literary world, Karlyne Hopper-Eckrich, an American author born in 1949, gained recognition for her works exploring themes of family, relationships, and personal growth.
Another individual with the name Karlyne was Karlyne Krueger, a Canadian artist and painter born in 1945. Her abstract expressionist paintings were widely exhibited and celebrated in the art community.
Lastly, Karlyne Hefner, born in 1956, was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. She was the daughter of Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine, and played a role in the business operations of the Playboy Enterprises.
While the name Karlyne may not be as common as its variations like Karla or Carla, it carries a rich history rooted in Germanic origins and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
People
Karlyne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karlyne as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karlyne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karlyne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karlyne 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Karlyne a common name?
We classify Karlyne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karlyne most popular?
The single biggest year for Karlyne was 1950, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karlyne is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Karlyne in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 114 people with the name Karlyne, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,355 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Karlyne in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Karlyne?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Karlyne leans strongly female. 114 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Karlyne?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karlyne is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Hispanic (13.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Karlyne most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Karlyne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (57 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Karlyne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Karlyne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karlyne 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.
Is Karlyne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Karlyne in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Karlyne can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are named Karlyne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.