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Carole

girl name
Origin
French
Syllables
2
Peak era
1930s/1940s
Today
▬ Steady

Meaning

French feminine form of Carolus (see Charles, from karl "man")

Carole around the world

One shared root links 24 names across 7 languages.

Shared root: from Germanic karl "man", Latinized as Carolus and spread everywhere by Charlemagne's fame

The constellation

CaroleFrenchCharlesEnglishCarlScandinavianKarlGermanCarloItalianKarolPolishCarolinaPortuguese
17 more branches of this family
CharlieEnglish · diminutiveCharleyEnglish · diminutiveCharleeEnglish · variantCarolEnglish · short formCarolineFrench · feminine formKarolineGerman · variantCarolynEnglish · variantCarolynnEnglish · variantCarrieEnglish · short formCarlaItalian · feminine formCarlyEnglish · diminutiveCarleyEnglish · variantCarlieEnglish · variantCharlotteFrench · feminine formCharletteEnglish · variantCharleneEnglish · feminine formLottieEnglish · diminutive

Popularity, 1890–2024

1890speak 1930s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Carole peaked in the 1930s and the 1940s in nearly equal measure.

See popularity in Brazil

Popularity in Brazil

132 people · the #33,941 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 33

1980s1990s2000s

Among people named Carole living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.

Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

When you meet Carole

Most people given the name Carole in the United States were born between 1940 and 1959. The Carole you meet today is most often in her 70s or 80s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Carole

Cecile Lucille Charlotte Claudette Yvonne Jeanette

The Carole deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Carole truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Carole fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

Does Carole fit YOUR family?

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