I have a soft spot for
Carol. It used to be a favorite of mine, and now it's an on-again, off-again favorite. I slightly prefer
Carole for not particular reason, but
Carol is still great--sweet and simple, like you said. It's one of those names that's dated by the number of 50-odd year old women with it but seems to be resurfacing without any problems.
Oddly,
every Carol I know my age is named some form of
Carol Anne. How strange is that?
My aunt is
Carol Elizabeth; I think that's quite pretty.