Girl · #5,617 in 2026

Karolyn

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

Karolyn is an English, and Swedish feminine given name that is a diminutive form of Carolina and Caroline as well as an alternate form of Karolin. Notable people referred to by this name include the following:

English

Current Rank

#5,617

Peak Rank

#571 (1946)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-6%

1912

First Year

2026

Last Year

1946

Peak Year

#571

Peak Rank

Total Count

114

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Karolyn

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)

English

The Story of Karolyn

The earliest SSA record of Karolyn as a baby girl name dates back to 1912, when 6 babies received it. 1946 was its biggest year on record, with 167 newborns named Karolyn — #613 in the national rankings. The 1940s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 23% of all recorded Karolyns. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #5,617 among baby girl names with 22 births, gradually falling (-6%). In total, more than 6K Karolyns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Karolyn

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

Where is Karolyn most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

DO
25%
TT
25%
United States
20%
GT
16%
Romania
12%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Karolyn

Phonetically similar names — useful when Karolyn 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 Karolyn

What does the name Karolyn mean?

What is the origin of the name Karolyn?

Karolyn has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Karolyn in 2026?

In 2026, Karolyn ranks #5,617 among girls' names in the U.S., with 22 babies given the name that year.

When was Karolyn most popular?

Karolyn reached its peak popularity in 1946, ranking #571 that year with 167 babies given the name.

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

Karolyn has historically been most popular in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Karolyn.

Is Karolyn a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Karolyn?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Karolyn include Dorene, Alysia, Sloan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Karolyn?

Common variants and related forms of Karolyn include Caleigh, Cali, Calleigh, Callie, Cari, Carlyn. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Karolyn

Karolyn is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 6K births in the dataset. Karolyn's peak popularity came in 1946 when it ranked #571. Use the chart and map above to compare Karolyn'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.