How Many People Are Named Carol?
An estimated 445,676 people in the United States have the first name Carol. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #97 overall. It is predominantly female (99.0%). The average bearer is 71 years old, and Carol peaked in popularity in 1946 with 34,457 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Pamela (445,229).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Carol as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Carol paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Carol is overwhelmingly female, 8,656 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 71, Carol is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1965.
- Carol has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1940s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
445,676
About 1 in 769 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.0% confidence
Average Age
71
years old
Peak Year
1946
34,457 births
Total Registered
825,494
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Carol
Carol is predominantly female (99.0%), though 8,656 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Carol as a male name
Ranked #12,776 in 2009
5 male births in 2009
Peak: 1937 (278 births)
Carol as a female name
Ranked #2,631 in 2024
66 female births in 2024
Peak: 1946 (34,283 births)
Carol: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Carol span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1940s, when 294,288 babies were registered. Carol has declined significantly from its peak in the 1940s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Carol by Decade
How has Carol tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 125 | 5 | 120 | |
| 1890s | 429 | 35 | 394 | |
| 1900s | 1,036 | 72 | 964 | |
| 1910s | 6,177 | 592 | 5,585 | |
| 1920s | 24,528 | 1,550 | 22,978 | |
| 1930s | 120,210 | 2,481 | 117,729 | |
| 1940s | 294,288 | 1,958 | 292,330 | |
| 1950s | 223,568 | 914 | 222,654 | |
| 1960s | 112,903 | 571 | 112,332 | |
| 1970s | 23,688 | 212 | 23,476 | |
| 1980s | 8,982 | 173 | 8,809 | |
| 1990s | 5,012 | 60 | 4,952 | |
| 2000s | 2,760 | 33 | 2,727 | |
| 2010s | 1,379 | 0 | 1,379 | |
| 2020s | 409 | 0 | 409 | |
Carol by State
Birth registrations for Carol span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, California. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 16,038 Carols were registered per state.
Carol + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Carol as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Carol
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Carol: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carol?
We estimate approximately 445,676 people named Carol are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 769 Americans share this first name.
Is Carol a common name?
Carol is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 825,494 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Carol most popular?
Carol reached peak popularity in 1946, when 34,457 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Carol is approximately 71 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Carol a female name?
Carol is predominantly female. 99.0% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Carol Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Carol Smith, Carol Johnson, Carol Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me