Karolyn

Karolyn: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “free man”
Origin: English
Say it: KAR-uh-lin · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

Variant spelling of Carolyn or Caroline, feminine forms ultimately from Charles. The base name comes from Germanic karl meaning 'man' or 'free man.'

English names American names Classic names

How popular is Karolyn?

20246.6 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 Karolyn in 202422

Peak year1941

Total US babies since 18805,939

Karolyn is steady now but far below its 1941 peak.

Names like Karolyn

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Carolynfree man · English
Carolynnfree man · Germanic
Oliviaolive tree · English
Evelyndesired; little bird · English
Harperharp player · English
Violetviolet flower · English
Hazelhazel tree · English
Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English

Karolyn questions

What does the name Karolyn mean?

Karolyn means "free man". It comes from English. Variant spelling of Carolyn or Caroline, feminine forms ultimately from Charles. The base name comes from Germanic karl meaning 'man' or 'free man.'

Is Karolyn a boy or girl name?

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

How popular is Karolyn?

22 US babies were named Karolyn in 2024. Its peak year was 1941.

How do you pronounce Karolyn?

Karolyn is usually pronounced KAR-uh-lin.

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.