girl's name
Carolina
ka-ro-LEE-na
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 51,131
the United States
#405
2025 births
Carolina means free man, and two American states carry it — both Carolinas are named for Charles I in Latin, so a Germanic word for a peasant ended up on the map through a king.
- Carolina is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2004, when 1,270 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,311 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Carolina over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 179 |
| 1890s | 249 |
| 1900s | 375 |
| 1910s | 817 |
| 1920s | 1,358 |
| 1930s | 1,075 |
| 1940s | 1,113 |
| 1950s | 1,103 |
| 1960s | 1,787 |
| 1970s | 2,600 |
| 1980s | 4,821 |
| 1990s | 9,885 |
| 2000s | 11,073 |
| 2010s | 7,499 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,174 |
What Carolina means
Carolina means a free man, from the Germanic karl. The word named a class of ordinary freeholders rather than nobility, which is the reverse of what a royal name usually carries.
Where Carolina comes from
Carolina is the Latin feminine of Carolus, the Latin for Charles, from the Germanic karl — a free man, and specifically a peasant freeholder rather than a nobleman. Charlemagne's Latin name, Carolus Magnus, made it a royal one across Europe, and the German Kerl still means a fellow or bloke. Both Carolinas were chartered in Charles I's honor using the Latin form, which is why the states carry a Germanic word for a commoner.
Carolina in use
Carolina peaked in the United States in 2004, when 1,270 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 405th in the United States on 769 births, 766th in Ireland on 4, 1388th in France on 25 and 1528th in England and Wales on 20, across 51,131 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Carolina?
In 2025, Carolina was given to 769 babies in the United States, ranking #405 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Carolina is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Carolina
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Carolina also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Carolina over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Carolina
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Carolina in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Carolina
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Carolina — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Carolina
What does the name Carolina mean?
A free man — the Germanic karl, through the Latin form of Charles.
Are the Carolinas named for it?
Both were chartered in Charles I's honor using Carolus, the Latin form.
Did Charles mean a nobleman?
The opposite. Karl named a peasant freeholder; the German Kerl still means a fellow.
How popular is Carolina?
405th in the United States, and stable rather than falling in our data.
Is Carolina a girl's or a boy's name?
Carolina is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Carolina?
Carolina has 4 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Carolina?
Carolina is usually shortened to Lina and Caro.
Is Carolina a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Carolina currently ranks #405 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.