Carole is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Carole means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Carole across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Carole has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Carole is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “free man”. A variant of Carol, a feminine form of Charles.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 110,952 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 21 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 433 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 278 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 Carole per year, United States (1901 to 2025). United States peaked in 1942 (8,440/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1974 (55/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1964 (23/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (5/yr).
Carole has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1942, when it ranked #64 nationally (given to 8,440 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1940s.
Carol · Carl · Carla · Carly · Karl · Karla · Carroll · Carrol
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