Given name & surname
Caro
“a joyous song; a small, strong woman”
Caro is a variant of Caroline. In Latin use, Caroline carries the interpretation “a joyous song; a small, strong woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Caro is a variant of Caroline. In Latin use, Caroline carries the interpretation “a joyous song; a small, strong woman.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In French usage, Caro is a diminutive of Caroline.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1883. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Caro through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 274
- 5 boys · 269 girls
- Most popular year
- 1953
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1964. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 13 in 1953. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 805 as a first name in 2020; 9,977 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Caro’s family of names
In French usage, Caro is a diminutive of Caroline. Caro is a short form of Caroline. Caro has a related form in Caroline.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Caro has relatives in 4 languages.
4 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Caro
- Caro De RobertisUruguayan-American author and educatorborn 1975
- Caro LucasIranian scientist1949–2010
- Caro CultGerman actressborn 1994
- Caro DawesSecond Lady of the US (1866-1957)
- Caro RomaAmerican opera singer and composer1866–1937
- Caro Benigno MassalongoItalian hepaticologist (1852-1928)
- Caro DahlNorwegian tennis player (1890-1979)
- Caro van EyckDutch actress (1915–1979)
- Caroline DaurGerman YouTuberborn 1995
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Caro, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“one who is pure; virginal”
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Cathleen
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Carlotta
“free man” · “a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Karolyn
>99% girls
Kathy
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>99% girls
Karen
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1% boys · 99% girls