Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2005

Karol

Gender Unisex · 87% girls Rank 2025 #3,426 Trend ↓ Falling 12%

Karol is a Basque, Polish, Slovak, and Slovene given name that is a form of Karl or Karolus.

Rank 2025
#3,426
among girls · ↑297 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
45
named Karol · +10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 35,717
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2005
448 babies
All-time total
11,131
#1,707 all-time among girls
First recorded
1911
in Social Security records

Karol popularity over time

11,131 babies have been named Karol since 1911, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 5 94 99 10 – #5,211
1920s 65 113 178 18 +80% #2,832
1930s 569 124 693 69 +289% #648
1940s 1,951 117 2,068 207 +198% #493
1950s 2,215 80 2,295 230 +11% #565
1960s 1,776 32 1,808 181 -21% #679
1970s 488 18 506 51 -72% #1,174
1980s 239 66 305 31 -40% #2,671
1990s 350 131 481 48 +58% #2,824
2000s 1,009 422 1,431 143 +198% #818
2010s 714 213 927 93 -35% #1,635
2020s (to 2025) 313 27 340 57 -39% #2,800

Where Karol 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 44 0.03 outside top 500
2027 44 0.03 outside top 500
2028 43 0.03 outside top 500
2029 43 0.03 outside top 500
2030 42 0.03 outside top 500

Where Karol is most popular

Girls named Karol per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.032 per 1,000. Strongest in Texas, California, and Florida.

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 Karol 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 61 0.076 +138%
California 37 0.044 +38%
Florida 17 0.040 +25%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Karol

Karol is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,426 in 2025 with 45 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1911, 11,131 American babies have been named Karol, about 87% girls and 13% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2005, when 448 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 Karol stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Karol?

The median living Karol is about 60 years old; half are between 20 and 71. An estimated 9,000 people named Karol are alive in the United States today.

median 60 020406080100

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

Karol 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 45 #3,426 – –
2024 41 #3,723 – –
2023 61 #2,800 6 #11,535
2022 59 #2,878 – –
2021 52 #3,138 10 #7,865
2020 55 #2,946 11 #7,259
2019 72 #2,469 5 #13,142
2018 44 #3,535 8 #9,230
2017 36 #4,108 14 #6,190
2016 43 #3,620 19 #5,045
2015 66 #2,700 18 #5,175
2014 77 #2,381 27 #3,846
2013 66 #2,674 24 #4,127
2012 132 #1,635 31 #3,489
2011 100 #1,979 37 #3,083
2010 78 #2,416 30 #3,587
2009 97 #2,096 39 #3,020
2008 87 #2,258 50 #2,529
2007 149 #1,543 63 #2,150
2006 137 #1,578 72 #1,885
2005 316 #818 132 #1,206
2004 59 #2,765 18 #4,692
2003 34 #3,986 7 #9,164
2002 43 #3,266 15 #5,029
2001 39 #3,448 14 #5,279
2000 48 #2,962 12 #5,745
1995 32 #3,453 12 #4,961
1990 41 #2,824 15 #3,874
1985 15 #4,955 8 #4,931
1980 35 #2,671 5 #6,761
1975 34 #2,380 – –
1970 99 #1,174 – –
1965 181 #741 – –
1960 224 #679 – –
1955 214 #634 9 #2,872
1950 200 #597 7 #3,183
1945 211 #504 12 #2,064
1940 137 #593 13 #2,038
1935 49 #988 16 #1,795
1930 16 #2,155 18 #1,783
1925 7 #4,221 13 #2,371
1920 – – 13 #2,394
1915 – – 16 #1,837
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Karol

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

  1. 1 Karol G Karol G Colombian singer and songwriter (born 1991) Contemporary
  2. 2 Karol Szymanowski Karol Szymanowski Polish composer (1882–1937) 19th century
  3. 3 Karol Sevilla Karol Sevilla Musical artist b. 1999 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Karol Świerczewski Karol Świerczewski Polish and Soviet army general 1897–1947 · 19th century
  5. 5 Karol J. Bobko Karol J. Bobko American astronaut (1937–2023) Contemporary
  6. 6 Karol Kučera Slovak tennis player (born 1974) Contemporary
  7. 7 Karol Mikuli Karol Mikuli Polish pianist, composer and conductor (1821–1897) 19th century
  8. 8 Karol Dobiaš Karol Dobiaš Slovak footballer and coach b. 1947 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Karol Borsuk Karol Borsuk Polish mathematician (1905–1982) Contemporary
  10. 10 Karol Bielecki Karol Bielecki Polish handball player (born 1982) Contemporary
  11. 11 Karol Olszewski Karol Olszewski Polish chemist, mathematician, and physicist 1846–1915 · 19th century
  12. 12 Karol Beck Karol Beck Slovak professional tennis player b. 1982 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Karol Jokl Karol Jokl Slovak footballer and manager (1945–1996) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Karol?

The median living Karol is about 60 years old. Half of all living Karols are between 20 and 71 years old.

How many people named Karol are alive today?

An estimated 9,000 people named Karol are alive in the United States, based on 11,131 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Karol mean?

Karol is a Basque, Polish, Slovak, and Slovene given name that is a form of Karl or Karolus.

How popular is the name Karol in 2025?

Karol ranked #3,426 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 45 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Karol?

11,131 babies have been named Karol in the United States since 1911, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Karol most popular?

Karol peaked in 2005, when 448 newborns received the name.

Is Karol a boy or girl name?

Karol is used for both: about 87% of babies named Karol have been girls and 13% boys.

Is the name Karol rising or falling?

Karol is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Karol become more popular?

Karol looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 42 girls named Karol in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Karol?

Well-known people named Karol include Karol G (singer), Karol Szymanowski (composer), Karol Sevilla (actor).

Names like Karol

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

Compare Karol with similar names → More names starting with K →