Girl · #7,055 in 2026

Carlyn

Name: Popularity of the name Carlyn in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Carlyn, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Carlyn is an English feminine given name and surname. As a given name it is form of Caroline derived from Karl. As an English surname it derives from the Irish surnames O'Carlain and O'Caireallain. Notable people with this name include the following:

Current Rank

#7,055

Peak Rank

#952 (1992)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-23%

1900

First Year

2026

Last Year

1992

Peak Year

#952

Peak Rank

Total Count

118

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Carlyn

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Carlyn

Carlyn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1900, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1992, when 74 Carlyns were born — ranking #1,894 that year. As of 2026, Carlyn ranks #7,055 for baby girls with 15 births, falling sharply (-23%). In total, more than 4K Carlyns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Carlyn

Phonetically similar names — useful when Carlyn is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Carlyn

What does the name Carlyn mean?

How popular is Carlyn in 2026?

In 2026, Carlyn ranks #7,055 among girls' names in the U.S., with 15 babies given the name that year.

When was Carlyn most popular?

Carlyn reached its peak popularity in 1992, ranking #952 that year with 74 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Carlyn most popular?

Carlyn has historically been most popular in Maryland, Wisconsin, Washington. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Carlyn.

Is Carlyn a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Carlyn is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Carlyn?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Carlyn include Ottie, Pamelia, Rozanne. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Carlyn

Carlyn is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1900 and has accumulated 4K births in the dataset. Carlyn's peak popularity came in 1992 when it ranked #952. Use the chart and map above to compare Carlyn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

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Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.