Girl · #10,293 in 2026

Carole

Carole is a feminine given name and occasionally a surname.

Current Rank
#10,293
Peak Rank
#35 (1942)
Total Babies
111K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1901
First Year
2023
Last Year
1942
Peak Year
#35
Peak Rank
111K
Total Count
114
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Carole

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

Carole is a feminine given name and occasionally a surname.

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

The Story of Carole

Carole first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1901, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1942, when 8,407 Caroles were born — ranking #35 that year. As of 2026, Carole ranks #10,293 for baby girls with 9 births, with steady use. In total, more than 111K Caroles have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
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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
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TN
NC
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AZ
NM
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LA
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Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Carole

Phonetically similar names — useful when Carole 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 Carole

What does the name Carole mean?
Carole is a feminine given name and occasionally a surname.
How popular is Carole in 2026?
In 2026, Carole ranks #10,293 among girls' names in the U.S., with 9 babies given the name that year.
When was Carole most popular?
Carole reached its peak popularity in 1942, ranking #35 that year with 8,407 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Carole most popular?
Carole has historically been most popular in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Carole.
Is Carole a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Carole is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Carole?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Carole include Jane, Connie, Lindsey. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Carole

Carole is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1901 and has accumulated 111K births in the dataset. Carole's peak popularity came in 1942 when it ranked #35. Use the chart and map above to compare Carole's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.