Carol is a short form of Caroline, the feminine of Charles, and so means "free woman"; its spelling was also shaped by the English word carol, a joyful song. It was one of the most popular American girls' names of the 1940s, when it belonged to Carol Burnett and Carole King. Carol was still in the top 1000 at number 719 in 2000 but has steadily declined since and ranked number 2242 in 2025.