Girl name · Germanic
Carolina
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: free man, feminine of CharlesCarolina is a girl's name that comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles". It is used in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
- Meaning
- Free man, feminine of Charles
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #405 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Carolina
As a girl's name, Carolina comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles". It is used in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
In Spanish, say kah-roh-LEE-nah. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Carolina on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Carolina on 1 list.
“Free man, feminine of Carlos; Germanic. Say kah-roh-LEE-nah”
From Mexican girl names, modern Mexican baby girl names
How popular is Carolina?
- US rank in 2025
- #405
- 769 babies, 478 per million girls
- Best rank
- #254 in 2004
- 1,270 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 47,971
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 136 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 112 per million |
| 1900s | 128 per million |
| 1910s | 100 per million |
| 1920s | 113 per million |
| 1930s | 100 per million |
| 1940s | 76 per million |
| 1950s | 57 per million |
| 1960s | 98 per million |
| 1970s | 168 per million |
| 1980s | 277 per million |
| 1990s | 547 per million |
| 2000s | 599 per million |
| 2010s | 428 per million |
| 2020s | 429 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #421 | #439 | #420 | #415 | #450 | #511 | #477 | #421 | #429 | #405 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Carolina
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- CarlaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarlottaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarolineFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CharlotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LottaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LottieFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
Names spelled like Carolina
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- CarinaDear, beloved (Latin, girl)
- CatalinaSpanish form of Katherine, later linked to Greek pure (Greek, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- JulianaFeminine form of Julian, from the Roman family name Julius (Latin, girl)
- CarlFree man (Germanic, boy)
- CharlieFree man (Germanic, unisex)
- MarianaFeminine of Marianus, from the Roman family name Marius (Latin, girl)
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
- AaliyahFeminine form of Aali, high, lofty, sublime (Arabic, girl)
- CarlosFree man (Germanic, boy)
- CharleneFree man (Germanic, girl)
- CharlesFree man (Germanic, boy)
- JuliaFeminine of Julius (Latin, girl)
- KarlFree man (Germanic, boy)
- XimenaFeminine of Ximeno, a medieval Spanish name of uncertain meaning (Spanish, girl)
- AlanaFeminine form of Alan, possibly little rock (Breton, girl)
- AlannaFeminine form of Alan; uncertain, perhaps little rock (Brythonic, girl)
- AzadFree (Persian, boy)
Middle names for Carolina
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Germanic
- EmmaWhole, universal (Germanic, girl)
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- AliceNobility, of noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- LouiseFamous warrior (Germanic, girl)
- AdaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdelaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdeleNoble one (Germanic, girl)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
- HildaBattle, combat (Germanic, girl)
- MatildaStrength in battle (Germanic, girl)
- RicardaBrave ruler (Germanic, girl)
- RobertaBright fame (Germanic, girl)
- BernadetteBrave bear (Germanic, girl)
- ClotildeFamous battle (Germanic, girl)
- GertrudeSpear of strength (Germanic, girl)
- HildeBattle (Germanic, girl)
- IdaWork, industrious (Germanic, girl)
Carolina: common questions
What does the name Carolina mean?
Carolina comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles".
Is Carolina a boy or girl name?
Carolina is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Carolina come from?
Carolina comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles". Today it is used in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
How popular is the name Carolina?
Carolina ranked #405 in the US in 2025, with 769 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Carolina?
Forms of Carolina with the same meaning and origin include Carla (German), Carlotta (Italian), Caroline (English), Charlotte (English) and Lotta (German).
What middle names go with Carolina?
Middle names that flow well with Carolina include Amber, Blair, Hazel, Jade and Jane. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.