Girl name · Germanic
Caroline
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: free man, feminine of CharlesCaroline is a girl's name that comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles". It is used in English, French, German and Dutch.
- Meaning
- Free man, feminine of Charles
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #96 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Caroline
As a girl's name, Caroline comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles". It is used in English, French, German and Dutch.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Caroline on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Caroline on 1 list.
“Free man, feminine of Charles; Germanic. Queen of George II”
From Vintage girl names, royal and literary vintage names
How popular is Caroline?
- US rank in 2025
- #96
- 2,646 babies, 1,646 per million girls
- Best rank
- #55 in 2017
- Most babies: 5,022 in 2000
- Babies since 1880
- At least 250,410
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 2,851 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 2,026 per million |
| 1900s | 1,461 per million |
| 1910s | 1,299 per million |
| 1920s | 1,062 per million |
| 1930s | 1,017 per million |
| 1940s | 803 per million |
| 1950s | 467 per million |
| 1960s | 918 per million |
| 1970s | 795 per million |
| 1980s | 1,045 per million |
| 1990s | 2,045 per million |
| 2000s | 2,265 per million |
| 2010s | 2,265 per million |
| 2020s | 1,834 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #56 | #55 | #56 | #61 | #71 | #80 | #77 | #83 | #92 | #96 |
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.
Nicknames for Caroline
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Carriecommon English nickname
- Carocommon English nickname
- Calliecommon English nickname
Other forms of Caroline
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)
- CarolinaFree 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 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 Caroline
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)
Caroline: common questions
What does the name Caroline mean?
Caroline comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles".
Is Caroline a boy or girl name?
Caroline is mainly a girl's name.
What are nicknames for Caroline?
Common nicknames for Caroline include Carrie, Caro and Callie.
How popular is the name Caroline?
Caroline ranked #96 in the US in 2025, with 2,646 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Caroline?
Forms of Caroline with the same meaning and origin include Carla (German), Carlotta (Italian), Carolina (Italian), Charlotte (English) and Lotta (German).
What middle names go with Caroline?
Middle names that flow well with Caroline include Amber, Anne, Joan, Lucy and Luna. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.