Given name & surname · also Irish
Carroll
“a joyous song; a small, strong woman”·“a free man”
Carroll is a variant of Carol. In English use, Carol carries the interpretation “a joyous song; a small, strong woman.” Carroll is a variant of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Carroll is a variant of Carol. In English use, Carol carries the interpretation “a joyous song; a small, strong woman.” Carroll is a variant of Carl. In German use, Carl carries the interpretation “a free man.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Carroll is a form of Carol. Carol comes from Latin, and ultimately from Romanian.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In Irish use, Carroll is used as a form of Cearbhall.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Carroll through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 41,347
- 35,431 boys · 5,916 girls
- Most popular year
- 1943
- 1,033 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −37%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 82% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 8 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 874 in 1934. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 16,718 as a first name in 2020; 129,163 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.
Carroll’s family of names
Carroll has a related form in Carol. Carroll has a related form in Carl. Carroll is an English adaptation of Cearbhall.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Carroll
- Carroll BakerAmerican actress (born 1931)
- Carroll ShelbyAmerican automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur (1923-2012)
- Carroll O'ConnorAmerican actor (1924–2001)
- Carroll QuigleyAmerican historian (1910–1977)
- Carroll Nyeactor (1901-1974)
- Carroll BallardAmerican film director (born 1937)
- Carroll A. Campbell Jr.American politician (1940–2005)
- Carroll BorlandAmerican actress (1914-1994)
- Carroll S. PageAmerican politician (1843–1925)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Carroll, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Carlan
“a free man”
62% boys · 38% girls
Errol
“a nobleman” · “a wanderer”
>99% boys
McArthur
“the son of Arthur”
>99% boys
Kinnie
Kinnie is a masculine given name from Irish.
97% boys · 3% girls
Cassell
Cassell is a surname with more than one origin.
>99% boys
Wendel
“one who travels; a wanderer”
>99% boys
Avon
“of the river”
>99% boys
Macarthur
“the son of Arthur”
>99% boys