Carolyn

Carolyn is an English feminine variant of Caroline, itself the Latinate feminine form of Carolus, the Medieval Latin rendering of the Germanic name Karl, meaning free man or full-grown man. The name gained wide use in the English-speaking world during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, partly through the popularity of various European queens and noblewomen named Caroline. Carolyn emerged as a distinctly American respelling that became especially fashionable in the mid-twentieth century. Related forms include Carol, Carolin, Caroline, and Karolyn.