Given name & surname
Carola
“a joyous song; a small, strong woman”
Carola is a variant of Carol. In English use, Carol carries the interpretation “a joyous song; a small, strong woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Carola is a variant of Carol. In English use, Carol carries the interpretation “a joyous song; a small, strong woman.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1894. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Carola through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,170
- 0 boys · 1,170 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 29 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #11,133 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 11,133 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 29 in 1961. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,052 as a first name in 2020; 263 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.
Carola’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Carola has an affectionate form in Lola. Carola has a related form in Carol.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Carola
- Carola HäggkvistSwedish singer and songwriterborn 1966
- Carola of Vasaqueen of Saxony (1833-1907)
- Carola SchoutenDutch politicianborn 1977
- Carola NeherGerman actress (1900-1942)
- Carola HornigEast German rowerborn 1962
- Carola RacketeGerman merchant navy captainborn 1988
- Carola AndingEast German cross-country skierborn 1960
- Carola ZirzowEast German canoeistborn 1954
- Carola HöhnGerman actress (1910–2005)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Carola, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“resembling a little bear”
>99% girls
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“a beautiful song”
5% boys · 95% girls
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“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
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“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% girls
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>99% girls
Lucette
Lucette is a feminine given name from Latin. It is used in Norman.
>99% girls