Girl · #421 in 2026

Carolina

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

Carolina is a feminine given name in Italian, English, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, derived from the masculine name Carolus which is Latin for Charles, generally meaning 'free man' or 'freeholder'.

Italian
Spanish
Portuguese
English

Current Rank

#421

Peak Rank

#254 (2004)

Total Babies

49K

5-Yr Trend

+2%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

2004

Peak Year

#254

Peak Rank

49K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Carolina

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

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

Italian
Spanish
Portuguese
English
Swedish

The Story of Carolina

Carolina first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 13 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2004: 1,270 births, good for #254 nationwide. About 23% of every Carolina on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Carolina ranks #421 for baby girls with 732 births, holding steady (+2%). All told, over 49K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Carolina

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Carolina. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Carolina

Phonetically similar names — useful when Carolina 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 Carolina

What does the name Carolina mean?

What is the origin of the name Carolina?

Carolina has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Swedish.

How popular is Carolina in 2026?

In 2026, Carolina ranks #421 among girls' names in the U.S., with 732 babies given the name that year.

When was Carolina most popular?

Carolina reached its peak popularity in 2004, ranking #254 that year with 1,270 babies given the name.

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

Carolina has historically been most popular in Puerto Rico, New Mexico, Arizona. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Carolina.

Is Carolina a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Carolina?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Carolina include Georgiana, Elvira, Jimmie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Carolina?

Common variants and related forms of Carolina include Cari, Carrie, Carry, Ina, Karrie, Lina. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Carolina

Carolina is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 49K births in the dataset. Carolina's peak popularity came in 2004 when it ranked #254. Use the chart and map above to compare Carolina'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.