Caryl

Spellings & scripts●(measured from records)

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records, and ○ marks a model's transliteration; click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 12 languages in the etymology graph.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Caryl is also recorded in 2 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, The ship of characters Carol Peletier and Daryl Dixon from the television series The Walking Dead.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• English: of uncertain origin, probably a variant of CAROL , possibly influenced by BERYL . As a male name it is probably an altered spelling of CARROLL .

  as a word

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Caryl Brahmsb. 1901GBEnglish critic, novelist, and journalist (1901-1982)
• Paul Cainb. 1902USnot in their usual nameAmerican writer (1902–1966)
• Caryl Lincolnb. 1903USAmerican actress (1903-1983)
• Caryl Parker Haskinsb. 1908USAmerican scientist (1908–2001)
• Caryl Chessmanb. 1921USAmerican convicted robber, kidnapper, rapist and writer (1921–1960)
• Caryl Churchillb. 1938GBBritish dramatist
• Caryl Phillipsb. 1958KNKittian-British writer (born 1958)
• Caryl Féreyb. 1967FRFrench writer
• Caryl Thomasb. 1986GBWelsh rugby union player
• Merryn GottNZnot in their usual nameNew Zealand nursing academic

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them○(machine-generated)

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Caryl mean, and where does it come from?

, occasionally ¢ Of uncertain origin, probably a variant of bCarol. Recorded by A concise dictionary of first names.

Is Caryl a male or female name?

Caryl is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

How common is the name Caryl?

In the United States, the national register counted 4,581 people named Caryl in 2020, about 1 in 73 thousand residents.

How do you pronounce Caryl?

A machine transcription gives /ˈkɛɹəɫ/ (IPA) for English.

What are other forms of the name Caryl?

In the etymology graph, Carolina, Carla and Caroline are forms of the same name in other languages; it is recorded as a short form of Carlyn.

In which country does Caryl have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 4.6 thousand people named Caryl, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled caryl.

Where is Caryl most common?

Caryl is densest in the United States, where the national register counts about 1 in 73 thousand people carrying it.