Caroline vs Kaye
Caroline and Kayecompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New Zealand · Girls
In 1962, Caroline was ranked #79 and Kaye #99 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2011, Caroline was ranked #714 and Kaye #5785 among girls in England and Wales.
Caroline and Kaye over time
Caroline and Kaye appear together in 1 published list, across 16 years of shared records. Caroline held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Kaye in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Caroline reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Kaye in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls16 shared years, 1996–2011
Caroline held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Kaye in 0.
Highest recorded here: Caroline #182 in 1996, Kaye #1970 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Caroline #714, Kaye #5785.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Caroline | Kaye |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 4 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #381 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5785 (2011) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Caroline has 4 syllables, compared with 1 for Kaye.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, NZ.
How each name got here
Caroline
Popularity journey
First recorded1957
First recorded at #94 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1957 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1979 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #392 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Kaye
Popularity journey
First recorded1960
First recorded at #96 among girls in New Zealand in 1960 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Girls
Highest recorded1960–1962
Highest recorded position: #89 among girls in New Zealand, in 1961 (recorded 1960–1962).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2011
Most recently recorded at #5785 among girls in England and Wales, in 2011.
England and Wales · Girls