Given name & surname
Karol
“a joyous song; a small, strong woman”·“a free man”
Karol is a variant of Karl. One German interpretation is “a free man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Karol carries the interpretation “a joyous song; a small, strong woman.” Karol is a variant of Karl. One German interpretation is “a free man.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In Polish use, Karol is used as a form of Charles. Karol is used as a form of Carol.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1911. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Karol through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,131
- 1,437 boys · 9,694 girls
- Most popular year
- 2005
- 448 babies
- 2025
- 45
- #3,426 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −11%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 13% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 45 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,426 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 316 in 2005. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (13). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,198 as a first name in 2020; 1,112 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.
Karol’s family of names
In Polish usage, Karol has a diminutive in Karolek. Karol shares a linguistic root with Charles. Karol is a form of Carol.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Karol has relatives in 21 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 17
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 23
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 Karol
- Pope John Paul II264th pope of the Catholic Church (1978–2005)1920–2005
- Karol NawrockiPolish politician and historian, President of the Republic of Poland since 2025born 1983
- Karol SzymanowskiPolish composer (1882–1937)
- Karol LinettyPolish footballerborn 1995
- Karol ŚwiderskiPolish association football playerborn 1997
- Karol DobiašSlovak football player and coachborn 1947
- Karol MetsEstonian footballer (born 1993)
- Karol ŚwierczewskiPolish general (1897-1947)
- Karol SevillaMexican actress, singer, songwriter and dancerborn 1999
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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