Carol

Carol: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “free man”
Origin: Germanic
Say it: KAIR-əl · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

From the Germanic name Karl via Charles/Caroline; Carol became an English feminine form and also a masculine name in some languages.

English names French names Names meaning noble Classic names International names

How popular is Carol?

202419.8 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 Carol in 202466

2024 rank#2,630 girls

Peak year1945

Total US babies since 1880825,494

Carol is fading: recent use is about 57% of its level ten years before.

Names like Carol

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Carrolfree man · Germanic
Emmawhole, universal · Germanic
Ameliawork · Germanic
Ellaall, completely · Germanic
Alicenoble type · Germanic
Adelinenoble · Germanic
Milliegentle strength · Germanic
Aubreyelf ruler · Germanic

Carol questions

What does the name Carol mean?

Carol means "free man". It comes from Germanic. From the Germanic name Karl via Charles/Caroline; Carol became an English feminine form and also a masculine name in some languages.

Is Carol a boy or girl name?

Carol is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Carol?

66 US babies were named Carol in 2024. Its peak year was 1945.

How do you pronounce Carol?

Carol is usually pronounced KAIR-əl.

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.