Dolly Parton Revealed the Name She Chose for a Daughter

Dolly Parton and Carl Dean never had children, but there was a time when the couple dreamed about what their family might look like.

They even had a name picked out for a daughter.

Years before her death, Dolly shared the sweet detail about the life she and Carl imagined during their nearly six decades of marriage.

Dolly and Carl’s Baby Name

In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Dolly said she and Carl wondered what their children might look like and talked about the possibility of becoming parents.

Read More: Inside Dolly Parton and Carl Dean’s 60-Year Love Story

“You always wonder. My husband and I, when we first got married, we thought about if we had kids, what would they look like?” Dolly said.

If they had welcomed a daughter, there was already a name waiting for her.

If we’d had a girl, she was gonna be called Carla. Anyway, we talked about it, and we dreamed it. But it wasn’t meant to be.

Dolly and Carl married in 1966 and remained together until his death in March 2025.

Dolly’s Life Without Children

Dolly later reflected that she believed she would have been a devoted mother, but she also understood how dramatically children might have changed the life she ultimately built.

I would have been a great mother, I think. I would probably have given up everything else. Because I would’ve felt guilty about that, if I’d have left them [to work, to tour]. Everything would have changed. I probably wouldn’t have been a star.

Instead, Dolly poured that love into her family and into children around the world.

Read More: Dolly Parton’s Sister Reveals Their Beautiful Morning Tradition

She was deeply involved in the lives of her nieces and nephews and created the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which provides free books to children from birth through age 5.

Dolly and Carl’s Life Together

Dolly met Carl shortly after arriving in Nashville. They married on May 30, 1966, in a small ceremony in Ringgold, Georgia, attended by Dolly’s mother, the preacher, and his wife.

They remained together for nearly six decades, until Carl died in March 2025.

Dolly died Tuesday (Aug. 25) at 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death, saying her family and the team overseeing her legacy would work to keep her spirit alive.

Dolly never got to meet the daughter she and Carl once imagined. But the name Carla remained a small, tender piece of the life they dreamed about together.