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Carol-Anne

Girl name · 112 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Carol-Anne: 112 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 13 births in 1976.

Carol-Anne joins two classic names with distinct roots: Carol, from the Germanic and Old French for “free man,” also linked to the Latin *canticum* for “song,” and Anne, from the Hebrew Hannah meaning “grace.” Perhaps the most famous bearer is the little girl Carol Anne Freeling from the 1982 horror film *Poltergeist*, whose whispered “They’re here” became iconic. Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy shares the sounds but spells her middle name without the hyphen. While no place carries the name directly, the double-barrelled form enjoyed popularity in Scotland during the 1970s and 1980s, reflecting a trend for combining parents’ names or honouring two grandmothers