ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1946

Peak Year

#4

Peak Rank

817K

Total Count

146

Years Active

🌍

## Meaning & Origin of Carol

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

Carol is a unisex given name in English, although in contemporary usage it is more commonly used for women. It is a variant of the English Charles, Germanic Carl, and Latin Carolus. Spelling variations include Carroll, Caryl, and Carole.

Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol%5F%28given%5Fname%29)

📖

## The Story of Carol

Carol first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1946, when 34,283 Carols were born — ranking #5 that year. As of 2026, Carol ranks #2,831 for baby girls with 59 births, falling sharply (-35%). In total, more than 817K Carols have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

🎶

## Names that sound like Carol

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

* [Carroll](/carroll)
* [Carrol](/carrol)
* [Carole](/carole)
* [Carrel](/carrel)
* [Coral](/coral)
* Choral
* Curle
* Chiral
* [Carle](/carle)
* [Karel](/karel)
* [Caral](/caral)
* [Koral](/koral)

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Carol

What does the name Carol mean?

Carol is a unisex given name in English, although in contemporary usage it is more commonly used for women. It is a variant of the English Charles, Germanic Carl, and Latin Carolus. Spelling variations include Carroll, Caryl, and Carole.

How popular is Carol in 2026?

In 2026, Carol ranks #2,831 among girls' names in the U.S., with 59 babies given the name that year.

When was Carol most popular?

Carol reached its peak popularity in 1946, ranking #4 that year with 34,283 babies given the name.

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

Carol has historically been most popular in Hawaii, North Dakota, Connecticut. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Carol.

Is Carol a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Carol?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Carol include Abigail, Judith, Elizabeth. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

## Similar Names

[👧AbigailPeak #4](/abigail)[👧JudithPeak #4](/judith)[👧ElizabethPeak #3](/elizabeth)[👧MinniePeak #5](/minnie)[👧MargaretPeak #3](/margaret)[👧SarahPeak #3](/sarah)[👧CharlottePeak #3](/charlotte)[👧RuthPeak #3](/ruth)

## About the name Carol 

Carol is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 817K births in the dataset. Carol's peak popularity came in 1946 when it ranked #4\. Use the chart and map above to compare Carol's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1946 → ](/year/1946)
* [ Names of the 1940s → ](/decade/1940s)
* [ Names starting with "C" → ](/letter/c)
* [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

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.