Baby Name of the Day: Caroline

The baby name Caroline combines classic style with a fresh, crisp sound.

Thanks to Clio for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME CAROLINE MEAN?

Caroline ultimately comes from the Germanic Karl. It means “man” or possibly “free man.” Some sources transform this to “womanly,” but that’s a stretch. 

In Latin, Karl becamge Carolus. The French whispered Carolus into Charles. Thanks to Charlemagne – Charles the Great – it entered into every history book. Charles and similar names have been in use ever since.

As a given name, Caroline is clearly connected to Carolus. That makes it an enduring choice with centuries of history. 

Other variations of Karl include Carlos, Carly, Karla, and Carlotta, to name just a few. 

ROYAL CAROLINE

While no close member of the current British Royal Family answers to Caroline, it’s a name strongly associated with English monarchs.

In 1727, Caroline of Ansbach was crowned queen as the consort of her husband, King George II of Great Britain. She was born Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline. The new queen proved influential in her new country, too, supporting writers, artists, and intellectuals.

The royal couple passed her name on to a daughter, and well-born Carolines have been around ever since. A second German-born Caroline was queen consort to King George IV of the United Kingdom in the early nineteenth century.

Caroline of Brunswick married the future King George IV in 1795. They named their daughter Princess Charlotte.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, both Charlotte and Caroline appeared in royal family trees across Europe.

Plenty of American places were named after royals with related names. Think of Charlotte, North Carolina, to name just one. But only Virginia’s Caroline County is named expressly for a Queen Caroline. (In this case, that’s Caroline of Ansbach.) 

CLASSIC CAROLINE

Because both Charlotte and Caroline are feminine forms of the enduring Charles, both share that classic status. 

The baby name Caroline has ranked in the US Top 1000 in every year since the data was first published for 1880.

But it hasn’t always been a wildly popular pick.

During the 1950s, Caroline was eclipsed by Carolyn – a spelling that reached the US Top Ten in the 1940s. During the middle of the twentieth century, just Carol was the powerhouse, regularly charting in the US Top Ten.

Some form of the name has almost always enjoyed prominence in the United States.

CAROLINE IN THE 20th CENTURY

Two twentieth century women kept the name in the spotlight. 

• Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco is the eldest daughter of the late Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III, a position that ensured her life has been lived in the headlines. The Grimaldis, the royal house of Monaco, have some surprising names on their family tree. She’s also Princess of Hanover through her marriage to Prince Ernst August.
• Caroline Kennedy is royalty of another kind. Born Caroline Bouvier Kennedy, she’s the daughter of Jackie and JFK, immortalized as a young girl at her 1963 father’s funeral. Kennedy was named for her maternal aunt, Caroline Lee Radziwill. At least two more Kennedy descendants have Caroline as part of their given names. 

SWEET CAROLINE

It’s sometimes said that a photo of a young Caroline Kennedy inspired Neil Diamond to write his smash hit 1969 song “Sweet Caroline.” 

The story has changed over the years. SongFacts sums it up like this: the songwriter borrowed the name Caroline from the Kennedy daughter because it fit the rhythm … though the song is really about his ex-wife, Marcia.

While Diamond recorded hit after hit over his long career, few rival 1969’s “Sweet Caroline” as enduring anthems. It’s played at sporting events, on movie soundtracks, at parties. Sing out the chorus nearly anywhere in the world, and odds are someone will respond with “Woah-ho-ho.”

Since the 1990s, it’s particularly associated with the Boston Red Sox, and is played at every home game. 

MORE FAMOUS WOMEN NAMED CAROLINE

Other notable Carolines over the years include:

• Lady Caroline Lamb, remembered for her scandalous affair with Lord Byron.
• First Lady Caroline Harrison, the wife of 23rd US President Benjamin Harrison.
• Feminist writer and reformer Caroline Healey Dall.
• Ma Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie was a Caroline
• The author of the Nancy Drew series was called Carolyn Keene – though that was just a catch-all for a group of ghostwriters.
• Lea Thompson played a single cartoonist in Caroline in the City, which ran as part of the Must See TV block on NBC in the 1990s.

But the Caroline in New York City who really made an impact was Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw. The character returned in the 2020s for a sequel series titled And Just Like That …

CARRIE AND OTHER CAROLINE NICKNAMES

Speaking of Carrie, Plenty of modern Carries aren’t Carolines at all.

That’s true for singer Carrie Underwood and actress Carrie Fisher. Stephen King’s Carrie was born Carrietta.

While Carrie seems like the automatic and obvious short form, Caroline could also became Cara or Caro, Callie, Lina, or even Rory, to name just a few.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME CAROLINE?

During the 1950s, the baby name Caroline briefly fell into the 300s. Most years, though, it hovered in the upper 100s or 200s. Like plenty of classic names, it felt timeless and familiar, but wasn’t particularly stylish.

In 1969 – the year Neil Diamond released his hit song – the baby name Caroline ranked just #224 in the US.

Things started to change in the late 1970s, but it would take decades for the name to inch back up the charts. The baby name Caroline returned to the US Top 100 in 1994.

While Caroline in the City wasn’t a major hit during its 1995 to 1999 run, it shared a line-up with shows like ER and Seinfeld – guaranteeing that even if you didn’t watch the show, you probably knew all about it. 

It may be one of the reasons the baby name Caroline marched up the popularity charts during the 1990s.

Or maybe it was just the right moment for the baby name Caroline.

As of 2024, Caroline ranks #92 in the US.

CRISP CLASSIC

Today another feminine form of Charles, the equally classic Charlotte, ranks in the US Top Ten.

In comparison, tailored Caroline is almost under-the-radar. It’s an enduring name with a long history of use and a compelling mix of energy and polish. 

If you’re after a crisp and traditional choice for a daughter, one that feels as storied as Elizabeth, but not quite as common, Caroline could be exactly the name you’re after.

What do you think of the baby name Caroline?

Originally published on October 1, 2010, this post was revised substantially and re-posted on and June 22, 2021 and again on January 4, 2026.