Given name
Caralyn
“beloved”·“one who is dearly loved”·“a good friend”
Caralyn is a variant of Cara. Interpretations include “beloved”, “one who is dearly loved”, and “a good friend”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Caralyn is a variant of Cara. Interpretations include “beloved”, “one who is dearly loved”, and “a good friend”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Caralyn is a variant of Cara. An origin associated with Cara is Italian.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1937. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Caralyn through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,148
- 0 boys · 1,148 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 33 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #13,524 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −77%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 13,524 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,016 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Caralyn, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Katelyn
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Camryn
“crooked nose”
14% boys · 86% girls
Kaitlyn
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Kassidy
“a curly-haired man”
3% boys · 97% girls
Carly
“a free woman” · “from the farmer's meadow”
>99% girls
Karina
“one who is dear and pure”
>99% girls
Cassidy
“curly-haired girl” · “a clever man”
7% boys · 93% girls
Allyson
“the son of a noble” · “noble”
>99% girls