Caroline (given name)

{{Infobox given name

| name = Caroline

| image=

| imagesize=

| caption=

| pronunciation=

| gender = Feminine

| meaning =Feminine version of Charles

| region =

| origin = French

| related names = Carolyn, Carol, Carolina, Charlotte

| footnotes =

}}

Caroline is a feminine given name, originally a French feminine form of the masculine name Charles. It has been in common use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. The name was first used among upper class English families in honor of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England. Common nicknames and variations include Callie, Cara, Carol, Carole, Carolina, Carolyn, Carly, Carrie, and Caz. {{cite book |last1=Hanks|first1= Patrick| last2=Hardcastle|first2=Kate |last3=Hodges| first3=Flavia| author-link= |date= 2006|title= Oxford Dictionary of First Names|url= |location= |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=48|isbn= 0-19-861060-2}}

Usage

Caroline was well-used in France throughout the 20th century and the early 21st century. It was among the top 100 names for French girls between 1900 and 1907 and again from 1958 to 2002. It has since declined in use in French-speaking countries. {{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/france?type=percent | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }} In Belgium, Caroline was also among the top 100 names for girls in the 1990s and early 2000s.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/belgium?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }}

In Scotland, Caroline was among the top 100 names for Scottish girls between 1935 and 1993, and was most popular from the 1950s to the 1970s.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/scotland?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }} In England and Wales, the name was among the 100 most popular names for girls in the early 20th century and again between 1944 and 1984. It was most popular between 1964 and 1974, when it was among the top 20 names for British girls.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/england-wales-historical?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }} It was also among the top 100 names for girls in Ireland between 1964 and 1997, and was a top 10 name for Irish girls between 1973 and 1980.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/ireland?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }}

In New Zealand, the name was among the 100 most popular names for girls between 1957 and 1985.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/new-zealand?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }} It was similarly popular in Australia, where it was a top 100 name for girls from the late 1950s through the early 1980s.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/australia-nsw?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }}

Caroline has been among the 1,000 most popular given names for girls in the United States since 1880. Its greatest popularity was between 1880 and 1893, when it was among the 100 most popular names for American girls. It then declined in use, but rose again in popularity beginning in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The increase in usage during this timeframe coincided with the 1957 birth of Princess Caroline of Monaco, daughter of the American film star Grace Kelly, and the 1957 birth of Caroline Kennedy, who was much photographed from 1961 to 1963 during the presidential administration of her father, American president John F. Kennedy. The name has been among the 100 most popular names for American girls since 1994.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/united-states | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }} In Canada, the name was among the 100 most popular names for girls during the 1960s and again in the late 1970s and early 1980s.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/canada?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }} In French-speaking Quebec, Canada, Caroline was among the 100 most popular names for French-Canadian girls between 1980 and 2000, and was a top 10 name between 1980 and 1986.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/quebec?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }}

In Norway, Caroline was among the top 100 names for girls from the early 1980s through 2010.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/norway?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }} In Denmark, Caroline was among the 50 most popular names for girls between the early 1990s and 2018, and was a top 10 name between 1997 and 2010.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/denmark?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }} It was among the top 100 names for girls in Sweden in the late 1990s and early 2000s.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/sweden?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }}

In Brazil, Caroline was among the top 100 names between 1980 and 2000.{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/caroline/top/brazil?type=rank | title=Popularity for the name Caroline - Behind the Name }}

Academics and science

Caroline Bedell Thomas (1904–1997), American cardiologist
Caroline Bell, professor of psychological medicine in New Zealand
Caroline Bowen (born 1944), New Zealand speech pathologist
Caroline Brettell (born 1950), Canadian cultural anthropologist
Caroline Brown Bourland (1871–1956), American professor
Caroline Bruzelius, American art historian
Caroline Matilda Dodson (1845–1898), American physician
Caroline Finch, Australian statistician
Caroline Furness Jayne (1873–1909), American ethnologist
Caroline Breese Hall (1939–2012), American pediatrician
Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), German astronomer
Caroline Herzenberg (born 1932), American physicist
Caroline Pellew (1882–1963), British geneticist
Caroline Hilary Barratt-Pugh (born 1954), Australian scholar
Caroline Langat Thoruwa, Kenyan chemist
Caroline Uhler (born 1983), Swiss statistician

Activism

Caroline Archer (1922–1978), Aboriginal Australian activist and telephonist
Caroline Brown Buell (1843–1927), American activist
Caroline Chisholm (1808–1877), Australian social reformer
Caroline M. Clark Woodward (1840–1924), American activist and writer
Caroline Criado Perez (born 1984), Brazilian–English feminist author, activist and journalist
Caroline Dayer (born 1978), Swiss feminist educator and writer
Caroline LeCount ({{C.}} 1846–1923), American educator and civil rights activist
Caroline Lowder Downing, British suffragette, sister of Edith Downing
Caroline Healey Dall (1822–1912), American feminist writer, transcendentalist, and reformer
Caroline Killeen (1926–2014), American activist
Caroline Marmon Fesler (1878–1960), American philanthropist and patron of art and music
Caroline Moorehead (born 1944), English human rights journalist and biographer
Caroline Mwatha (died 2019), Kenyan human rights activist
Caroline Severance (1820–1914), American abolitionist, suffragist, and the founder of women's clubs

Aristocracy

=Empresses consort=

Caroline Augusta of Bavaria (1792–1873), Empress of Austria by marriage to Francis I of Austria

=Queens consort=

Caroline of Ansbach (1683–1737), British queen consort of King George II
Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg (1796–1881), Danish queen consort of King Christian VIII
Caroline of Baden (1776–1841), first Queen consort of Bavaria by marriage to Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria
Caroline Bonaparte (1782–1839), queen consort of Joachim, King of Naples
Caroline of Brunswick (1768–1821), queen consort of George IV of the United Kingdom
Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (1751–1775), British monarch, sister of King George III and Queen of Denmark and Norway by marriage to King Christian VII

=Princesses=

Princess Caroline Elizabeth of Great Britain (1713–1757), Hannover princess, daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach
Caroline, Princess of Hanover (born 1957), formerly heir presumptive to the throne of Monaco, daughter of Grace Kelly
Princess Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt (1746–1821)
Princess Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt (1723–1783), consort of Baden, artist, collector, salonist and scientist
Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Rotenburg (1714–1741), Princess of Condé by marriage to Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon
Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen (1762–1823), daughter of Karl Wilhelm, Prince of Nassau-Usingen, and wife of Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel
Princess Caroline Louise of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1786–1816), princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark (1912–1995), Danish monarch

=Other aristocrats=

Countess Caroline Felizitas of Leiningen-Dagsburg (1734–1810), German countess
Caroline, Countess of Cranbrook (born 1935), English aristocrat and food activist
Countess Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken (1704–1774), Countess Palatine of Zweibrücken by marriage to Christian III of Zweibrücken
Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken (1721–1774), Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt by marriage to Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Caroline Lacroix (1883–1948), mistress of Leopold II of Belgium
Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1819–1887), Polish noblewoman associated with Franz Liszt

Arts

Caroline Aaron (born 1952), American actress
Caroline Abraham (1809–1877), New Zealand artist
Caroline Adderson (born 1963), Canadian novelist and short story writer
Caroline Aherne (1963–2016), British comedian, actress and writer
Caroline Ailin (born 1989), Norwegian singer and songwriter
Caroline Amiguet (born 1977), French actress and model
Caroline Armington (1875–1939), Canadian painter
Caroline Bardua (1781–1864), German painter
Caroline Baron, American film producer and philanthropist
Caroline Becker (1826–1881), Finnish photographer
Caroline Beil (born 1966), German actress and television presenter
Caroline Bergvall (born 1962) German–born French–Norwegian poet
Caroline Birley (1851–1907), English geologist, fossil collector and children's author
Lady Caroline Blackwood (1931–1996), English writer
Caroline Bliss (born 1961), English actress
Caroline Brazier, Australian actress
Caroline Burke (1913–1964), American actress, art collector, writer, and television and theater producer
Caroline Caddy (born 1944), Australian poet
Caroline Carleton (1811–1874), English–born Australian poet
Caroline Catz, English film, television, narrator, theatre and radio actress
Caroline Champetier (born 1954), French cinematographer
Caroline Chariot-Dayez (born 1958), Belgian painter
Caroline Charrière (1825–1873), Swiss composer and conductor
Caroline Chesebro (1825–1873), American writer
Caroline Chevin (born 1974), Swiss soul singer
Caroline Chikezie (born 1974), Nigerian–English actress
Caroline Chomienne (1957–2020), French film director
Caroline Clive (1801–1873), English writer
Caroline B. Cooney (born 1947), American author
Caroline Corr (born 1973), Irish drummer
Caroline Craig (born 1975), Australian actress
Caroline Crawford (born 1949), American actress and singer
Caroline Crawley (1963–2016), English singer
Caroline D'Amore (born 1984), American model and actress
Caroline Demmer (1845–1898), German–Austrian actress and singer
Caroline Dhavernas (born 1978), Canadian actress
Caroline Dowdeswell (born 1945), English actress
Caroline Ducey (born 1976), French actress
Caroline Dumas (born 1935), French soprano
Caroline Duprez (1832–1875), French soprano
Caroline Alice Elgar (1848–1920), English writer and poet
Caroline Leigh Gascoigne (1813–1883), British poet and writer
Caroline Gordon (1895–1981), American novelist and literary critic
Caroline Hardaker (born 1986), English poet and novelist
Caroline Howard Gilman (1794–1888), American writer
Caroline Howard Jervey (1823–1877), American author and poet
Caroline Dana Howe (1824–1907), American poet and writer
Caroline Innerbichler, American stage actress
Caroline Alice Lejeune (1897–1973), British writer
Caroline Lufkin (born 1981), Okinawan-American musician
Caroline Marbouty (1803–1890), French writer
Caroline Marshall Woodward (1828–1890), American author
Caroline May (1820–1895), English-American poet and editor
Caroline Mezger (1787–1843), Swiss painter, printmaker, and teacher
Caroline Miner Smith, known as Siiickbrain, American singer and model
Caroline Myss (born 1952), American self-help, spirituality and mysticism author
Caroline Néron (born 1973), Canadian actress
Caroline Polachek (born 1985), American musician
Caroline Quentin (born 1960), British actress and television presenter
Caroline Rannersberger (born 1961), Australian visual artist
Caroline Keating Reed (died 1954), American pianist and music teacher
Caroline Rhea (born 1964), Canadian actress
Caroline Ridderstolpe (1793–1878), Swedish composer
Caroline M. Sawyer (1812–1894), American poet, biographer and editor
Caroline Shaw (born 1982), American Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
Caroline Shawk Brooks (1840–1913), American sculptor
Caroline Henrietta Sheridan (1770–1851), English novelist
Caroline Anne Southey (1786–1854), English poet
Caroline Townshend (1878–1944), British stained glass artist of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Caroline Valpy (1804–1884), a British-New Zealand artist
Caroline von Wolzogen (1763–1847), German novelist and biographer
Caroline Weldon (1844–1921), Swiss-American artist and activist with the National Indian Defense

Law and politics

Caroline Abadie (born 1976), French politician
Caroline Ansell (born 1971), British politician
Caroline Casagrande (born 1976), American government official
Caroline A. Crenshaw, American attorney
Caroline Desbiens, Canadian politician
Caroline Fiat (born 1977), French politician
Caroline Flint (born 1961), British politician
Caroline Ganley (1879–1966), British politician
Caroline Love Goodwin O'Day (1869–1943), American congresswoman
Caroline Johnson (born 1977), British politician
Caroline Lucas (born 1960), British politician
Caroline St-Hilaire (born 1969), Canadian politician from Quebec
Caroline Szyber (born 1981), Swedish politician
Caroline Van Zile, American lawyer and politician

Sports

Caroline Abbé (born 1988), Swiss footballer
Caroline Allen (born 1992), American motorcycle racer
Caroline Arft (born 1996), German canoeist
Caroline Atkins (born 1981), English cricket coach and former player
Caroline Barrs (born 1964), English former cricketer who played as an all-rounder
Caroline Buchanan (born 1990), Australian cyclist
Caroline Burckle (born 1986), American swimmer
Caroline Chepkurui (born 1990), Kenyan steeplechase runner
Caroline Chepkwony (born 1985), Kenyan long distance runner
Caroline Chew (equestrian) (born 1992), Singaporean equestrian athlete and solicitor
Caroline Clark (born 1990), American female water polo player
Caroline Cruveillier (born 1998), French boxer
Caroline Curren (born 1962), Australian judoka
Caroline Delas (born 1980), French rower
Caroline Dhenin (born 1973), French tennis player
Caroline Dolehide (born 1998), American tennis player
Caroline Foot (born 1965), British butterfly swimmer
Caroline Fritze (born 2000), German judoka
Caroline Hedwall (born 1989), Swedish professional golfer
Caroline Heron (born 1990), Scottish footballer
Caroline Knop (born 1996), volleyball player
Caroline Lalive (born 1979), American former alpine skier
Caroline Masson (born 1989), German professional golfer
{{anbl|Caroline Nyaga}}
Caroline Powell (equestrian) (born 1973), New Zealand equestrian
Caroline Seger (born 1985), Swedish footballer
Caroline Stoll (born 1960), American tennis player
Caroline Vis (born 1970), Dutch tennis player
Caroline Weir (born 1995), Scottish footballer
Caroline Wensink (born 1984), Dutch volleyball player
Caroline Wittrin (born 1968), Canadian hammer thrower
Caroline Wozniacki (born 1990), Danish tennis player
Caroline Zhang (born 1993), American figure skater

Others

Caroline Anthonypillai (1908–2009), Sri Lankan trade unionist and founder of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Caroline Arnott (1859–1933), English philanthropist
Caroline Starr Balestier Kipling (1862–1939), wife of writer Rudyard Kipling
Caroline Bancroft (1900–1985), American journalist and Ziegfeld Folly
Caroline Bartlett Crane (1858–1935), American Unitarian minister, suffragist, educator, journalist, and sanitation reformer
Caroline Bittencourt (1981–2019), Brazilian model and television presenter
Caroline Blake (1835–1919), Irish hotelier and landlord
Caroline Brady (1905–1980), American philologist
Caroline Brasch Nielsen (born 1993), Danish fashion model
Caroline Burghardt (1834–1922, Civil War nurse
Caroline Byrne (1970–1995), Australian model
Caroline Calloway (born 1991), American internet personality
Caroline Cameron (born 1990), Canadian television sportscaster
Caroline Donald, British journalist and author
Caroline Flack (1979–2020), English television presenter
Caroline Freeman (1856–1914), English educator and first woman to graduate from the University of Otago
Caroline Garcia (born 1993), Dhenin's French compatriot and tennis player
Caroline Girvan (born 1984), Irish fitness trainer and YouTuber
Caroline Gooding (1959–2014), British solicitor and disability rights activist
Caroline Grills ({{circa|1888}}{{snd}}1960), Australian serial killer
Caroline Harrison (1832–1892), American first wife to the 23rd President of the United States Benjamin Harrison and founder of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Caroline Haslett (1895–1957), English electrical engineer, electricity industry administrator and champion of women's rights
Caroline Hazard (1856–1945), American educator, philanthropist, and author
Caroline Kennedy (born 1957), American author and attorney, the daughter and only surviving child of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson (1918–2005), American fashion consultant, businesswoman and philanthropist
Caroline Mary Luard (1850–1908), British murder victim
Caroline Nichols Churchill (1833–1926), American newspaper editor, suffragist and writer
Caroline Norton (1808–1877), English writer and social reformer
Caroline Schelling (1763–1809), German intellectual and writer
Caroline Schermerhorn Astor (1830–1908), American socialite
Caroline Skeel (1872–1951), British historian
Caroline Spencer (1861–1928), American physician and suffragist
Caroline Sunshine (born 1995), American actress, singer, and civil servant
Caroline Trentini (born 1987), Brazilian fashion model
Caroline Winberg (born 1985), Swedish model

Fictional characters

Caroline, in the 1994 American black-comedy movie The Ref
Caroline Abbott, American Girl character
Caroline Alessi, former character on the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Caroline Beaufort, the mother of scientist Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein
Caroline Bingley, from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Caroline Brady, on the American soap opera Days of our Lives
Carrie Brady Reed or Caroline Anna Brady-Reed, character on the American soap opera Days of our Lives
Cara Castillo or Carolyn Castllio, character on the American soap opera All My Children
Carly Benson Corinthos-Jacks or Caroline Leigh Benson Corinthos-Jacks, character on the American soap opera General Hospital
Caroline Cross character on the Syfy and USA Network TV series Chucky'
Caroline Farrell, the original identity of main character Echo on the TV series Dollhouse
Caroline Forbes, one of the protagonists on the TV series The Vampire Diaries
Coraline Jones, the protagonist of the novel Coraline (sometimes miscalled Caroline)
Caroline Lindstrom, in 2001 American independent comedy-drama movie Little Secrets
Caroline Anne "Carol" Seaver, a character in the American television sitcom Growing Pains
Caroline Spencer, current character on the American CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful
Caroline Spencer Forrester, former character on the American CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful
Caroline Weldon, a character in the American sitcom Living Dolls