Carlene is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Carlene means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Carlene across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Carlene has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Carlene is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “free man”. A feminine diminutive of Carl or Charles.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 15,225 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 27 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 45 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 6 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Carlene per year, United States (1895 to 2025). United States peaked in 1955 (370/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (8/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1987 (8/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1980 (3/yr).
Carlene has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1955, when it ranked #838 nationally (given to 370 babies that year).
Carolyn · Caroline · Carolina · Carolann · Carolynn · Coraline · Carolyne · Carleen
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