Carolyn
Encyclopedia
- See Carl (name)Carl (name).Carl is a popular given name as well as the name of various places. The most popular male variations are Karl, Charles; the popularity stems from the long lines of historical nobility using these names. There also exist many female variations such as Charlotte and Carla...
for more information about the name.
Carolyn is a female given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
, originally an alteration of the more ancient name Caroline
Caroline (given name)
-XVIIth -XIXth century :*Caroline of Ansbach , queen consort of George II of Great Britain*Caroline of Brunswick , queen consort of George IV of the United Kingdom*Caroline Bonaparte, ,...
in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Another spelling is Karolyn.
Caroline itself is one of the feminine forms of Charles
Charles
Charles is a given name for males and is borrowed from the French form of the Latin Carolus Charles is a given name for males and is borrowed from the French form of the Latin Carolus...
, which goes back to a Germanic word that meant "free man".