girls' name ★ peaked 2004

Carolina

Meaning A female given name from Latin, Latinate form of Caroline Gender Girl Rank 2025 #405 Trend → Stable

A female given name from Latin, Latinate form of Caroline; rare in English.

Rank 2025
#405
among girls · ↑24 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
769
named Carolina · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,090
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2004
1,270 babies
All-time total
48,108
#607 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Carolina popularity over time

48,108 babies have been named Carolina since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 179 – 179 18 – #423
1890s 249 – 249 25 +39% #487
1900s 375 – 375 38 +51% #494
1910s 817 – 817 82 +118% #573
1920s 1,347 11 1,358 136 +66% #551
1930s 1,069 6 1,075 108 -21% #598
1940s 1,102 11 1,113 111 +4% #663
1950s 1,103 – 1,103 110 -1% #826
1960s 1,787 – 1,787 179 +62% #677
1970s 2,593 7 2,600 260 +45% #463
1980s 4,756 65 4,821 482 +85% #320
1990s 9,848 37 9,885 989 +105% #268
2000s 11,073 – 11,073 1,107 +12% #254
2010s 7,499 – 7,499 750 -32% #389
2020s (to 2025) 4,174 – 4,174 696 -7% #405

Where Carolina is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 776 0.48 #402
2027 782 0.49 #398
2028 787 0.49 #394
2029 791 0.49 #392
2030 795 0.49 #392

Where Carolina is most popular

Girls named Carolina per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.430 per 1,000. Strongest in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Carolina born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Texas 925 1.15 +167%
New Mexico 20 0.822 +91%
Arizona 104 0.741 +72%
California 575 0.684 +59%
Florida 292 0.682 +59%
South Carolina 57 0.634 +47%
North Carolina 140 0.615 +43%
Nevada 28 0.603 +40%
Illinois 136 0.594 +38%
Georgia 115 0.506 +18%
Kentucky 42 0.491 +14%
Tennessee 76 0.480 +12%
Alabama 45 0.479 +11%
Arkansas 24 0.454 +6%
Washington 63 0.436 ≈ national
Virginia 73 0.428 ≈ national
Colorado 45 0.403 -6%
Maryland 38 0.359 -17%
Massachusetts 43 0.356 -17%
Connecticut 17 0.292 -32%
Louisiana 25 0.286 -34%
New York 113 0.285 -34%
New Jersey 51 0.283 -34%
Indiana 39 0.278 -35%
Oklahoma 18 0.245 -43%
Kansas 12 0.208 -52%
Michigan 36 0.198 -54%
Missouri 23 0.191 -56%
West Virginia 5 0.191 -56%
Pennsylvania 43 0.182 -58%
Wisconsin 18 0.175 -59%
Nebraska 6 0.167 -61%
Ohio 35 0.148 -66%
Utah 12 0.144 -66%
Minnesota 14 0.130 -70%
Oregon 6 0.092 -79%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Carolina

Carolina is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #405 in 2025 with 769 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 48,108 American babies have been named Carolina. Its peak came in 2004, when 1,270 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Carolina stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Carolina?

The median living Carolina is about 25 years old; half are between 14 and 35. An estimated 43 thousand people named Carolina are alive in the United States today.

median 25 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Carolina year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 769 #405 – –
2024 718 #429 – –
2023 730 #421 – –
2022 664 #477 – –
2021 609 #511 – –
2020 684 #450 – –
2019 756 #415 – –
2018 740 #420 – –
2017 722 #439 – –
2016 775 #421 – –
2015 732 #432 – –
2014 788 #407 – –
2013 712 #428 – –
2012 723 #432 – –
2011 729 #430 – –
2010 822 #389 – –
2009 828 #387 – –
2008 925 #357 – –
2007 1,020 #329 – –
2006 1,196 #280 – –
2005 1,133 #291 – –
2004 1,270 #254 – –
2003 1,216 #262 – –
2002 1,074 #289 – –
2001 1,207 #265 – –
2000 1,204 #267 – –
1995 989 #279 6 #7,942
1990 910 #302 7 #6,506
1985 404 #504 9 #4,379
1980 455 #467 6 #5,617
1975 247 #634 – –
1970 213 #718 – –
1965 194 #705 – –
1960 143 #865 – –
1955 103 #984 – –
1950 104 #869 – –
1945 114 #697 – –
1940 78 #803 – –
1935 97 #675 6 #3,313
1930 132 #600 – –
1925 145 #602 – –
1920 132 #623 – –
1915 100 #662 – –
1910 43 #646 – –
1905 30 #643 – –
1900 40 #533 – –
1895 35 #493 – –
1890 23 #549 – –
1885 18 #504 – –
1880 13 #470 – –

Famous people named Carolina

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera Venezuelan fashion designer (born 1939) Contemporary
  2. 2 Carolina Kostner Carolina Kostner Italian figure skater (born 1987) Contemporary
  3. 3 Carolina Marín Carolina Marín Spanish badminton player (born 1993) Contemporary
  4. 4 Carolina Dieckmann Carolina Dieckmann Brazilian actress b. 1978 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Carolina Klüft Carolina Klüft Swedish heptathlete and long jumper (born 1983) Contemporary
  6. 6 Carolina Morace Carolina Morace Italian footballer and manager (born 1964) Contemporary
  7. 7 Carolina Gynning Carolina Gynning Swedish model, author, podcaster, actress, jewelry designer and television presenter b. 1978 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Carolina Coronado Carolina Coronado Spanish writer (1820–1911) 19th century
  9. 9 Carolina Ruiz Castillo Carolina Ruiz Castillo Spanish alpine skier b. 1981 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Carolina, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Carolina?

The median living Carolina is about 25 years old. Half of all living Carolinas are between 14 and 35 years old.

How many people named Carolina are alive today?

An estimated 43 thousand people named Carolina are alive in the United States, based on 48,108 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Carolina mean?

A female given name from Latin, Latinate form of Caroline; rare in English.

How popular is the name Carolina in 2025?

Carolina ranked #405 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 769 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Carolina?

48,108 babies have been named Carolina in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Carolina most popular?

Carolina peaked in 2004, when 1,270 newborns received the name.

Is Carolina a boy or girl name?

Carolina is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Carolina rising or falling?

Carolina has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Carolina become more popular?

Carolina looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 795 girls named Carolina in 2030, ranking around #392. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Carolina?

Well-known people named Carolina include Carolina Herrera (politician), Carolina Kostner (skater), Carolina Marín (badminton player).

Names like Carolina

Names that sound and feel close to Carolina: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Carolina with similar names → More names starting with C →