Carlene

Carlene: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “free woman”
Origin: English
Say it: kar-LEEN · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Feminine form of Carl or a variant of Carlene/Charlene, ultimately from Germanic Karl meaning 'free man'. As a feminine name, the sense is commonly given as 'free woman'.

English names Names meaning brave Vintage names Classic names

How popular is Carlene?

20243.6 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Carlene in 202412

Peak year1936

Total US babies since 188015,219

Carlene is fading: recent use is about 63% of its level ten years before.

Names like Carlene

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Carlosfree man · Germanic
Carlfree man · Germanic
Carlafree woman · Germanic
Karlfree man · Germanic
Karliefree man · Germanic
Carliefree man · Germanic
Karlyfree man · Germanic
Carleenfree man · Germanic

Carlene questions

What does the name Carlene mean?

Carlene means "free woman". It comes from English. Feminine form of Carl or a variant of Carlene/Charlene, ultimately from Germanic Karl meaning 'free man'. As a feminine name, the sense is commonly given as 'free woman'.

Is Carlene a boy or girl name?

Carlene is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Carlene?

12 US babies were named Carlene in 2024. Its peak year was 1936.

How do you pronounce Carlene?

Carlene is usually pronounced kar-LEEN.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.