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Home › Baby Names Directory › Carilyn

Carilyn

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Carilyn

Pronounced KAIR-uh-lin /ˈkær.ə.lɪn/Medium

Meaning: Carilyn is a respelled, blended form of Carolyn, itself a variant of Caroline. The root Carol traces to Charles (Germanic 'karl', a free man) and also carries the English sense of a joyful song; the -lyn ending is the popular mid-century addition seen across many girls' names.Low

In 30 seconds: Carilyn is a blended form of Carolyn, from Carol (free man, or song) plus -lyn. It stayed rare in the United States, peaking around 1958 (said KAIR-uh-lin).
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Origin LowEnglish
MeaningCarilyn is a respelled, blended form of Carolyn, itself a variant of Caroline. The root Carol traces to Charles (Germanic 'karl', a free man) and also carries the English sense of a joyful song; the -lyn ending is the popular mid-century addition seen across many girls' names.
U.S. rank (2011)#15205 ↘ Falling
2011 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1958
Total births (all-time)≈ 425

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 195819352011

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Carilyn is one of the many -lyn reworkings of Carolyn that flourished in the mid twentieth century. Carolyn descends from Caroline, the feminine of Charles (Germanic 'karl', a free man), and the fresh spelling gave parents a familiar name that still looked their own. It never strayed far from its Carolyn parent in sound.

Carilyn was never common in the United States, reaching only about twenty girls a year around its high point in 1958, in the thick of the Carolyn era, before easing back to rarity. A woman named Carilyn then is in her sixties today.

Did you know? Carilyn rode the mid-century wave that reshaped Caroline into Carolyn, Karolyn, Caralyn, and Carilyn - a whole cluster of -lyn respellings that let each family put a personal stamp on one classic.
Overall data confidence 55%
References - Carilyn — Blended -lyn form of Carolyn/Caroline (Charles root)

Variations

CarolynCaralynKarolyn

Nicknames

CariLyn

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Carilyn…

Carolyn— the base name it respells
Caralyn— a near-identical blended cousin
Marilyn— a like -lyn name of the era
Sharilyn— a similar mid-century -lyn blend

Explore names like Carilyn

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Carilyn mean?

It is a blended spelling of Carolyn, from Carol (linked to Charles, a free man, and to song) with the -lyn ending.

How do you pronounce Carilyn?

It is said KAIR-uh-lin /ˈkær.ə.lɪn/, three syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Carilyn a boy or girl name?

Carilyn is used here as a girl's name.

How popular is Carilyn?

It has always been rare in the United States, given to only about twenty girls a year at its peak in the late nineteen-fifties.

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