Caroline is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Caroline means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Caroline across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Caroline has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Caroline is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “free woman”. a feminine form of Charles.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 250,719 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 2,100 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4,892 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 110 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 13,199 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 2,530 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 Caroline per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2000 (5,029/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1979 (647/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1974 (396/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (242/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1998 (19/yr).
Caroline has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2000, when it ranked #148 nationally (given to 5,220 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Carolyn · Carolina · Carlene · Carolann · Carolynn · Karolyn · Coraline · Carolyne
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