Elena Gilbert's love life was originally at the center of The Vampire Diaries. However, her best friend, Caroline Forbes, had the largest number of long-term relationships throughout the series. When she falls in love with someone, Caroline gives them her all, so her romances were often intense and played a pivotal role in the plot.
Due to her kindness and eternal optimism, it's not at all surprising that so many of the main characters fell for Caroline. Viewers found themselves split over who Caroline should ultimately end up with, but after the show's conclusion, it became clear which relationships stood out the most.
Damon Salvatore
Damon was Caroline's worst love interest by a landslide. He compelled her into doing whatever he wanted and he abused her physically and emotionally. Damon fed off of her every day, and Elena took notice of the bite marks all over her body.
When Caroline was turned into a vampire by Katherine, Damon tried to stake her, rather than help her. They do eventually form a friendship because of their mutual love for Stefan, but it's remarkable that Caroline was able to forgive Damon for everything he did to her.
Alaric Saltzman
Alaric and Caroline's relationship was one of convenience more than anything else. It was borderline creepy, given that Alaric was Caroline's high school teacher, and the romance wasn't at all popular among viewers.
Alaric fell in love with Caroline for real, but Caroline only stuck around as long as she did because they were co-parenting their children. While they were engaged for a time, Alaric and Caroline slept in separate rooms, making it clear that their relationship was never meant to last.
Matt Donovan
Early on in the series, Caroline and Matt were cute. But compared to all the other romances on the show, they stuck out the least. Their chemistry began to fizzle out once Matt realized Caroline was a vampire, and most viewers lost interest in their relationship.
After they broke up they remained friends for a time, but Matt's prejudice against vampires began to take over his life. He became untrustworthy, and he cared more about killing supernatural creatures than he did about helping his friends.
Jesse
Jesse would be higher on the list if he was on the series for longer than a few episodes. He was sweet, funny, and Caroline genuinely enjoyed his company. What the two of them had was a nice break from Caroline's more complicated relationships, and their romance had a lot of potential.
Jesse was ultimately turned into a vampire and staked by Elena, which caused problems between Elena and Caroline. Jesse was a genuinely good person, and it's a shame that he was killed off so quickly.
Tyler Lockwood
Viewers either loved or hated Tyler Lockwood. He started off as a bully with violent tendencies, but the series tried to explain most of it away with Tyler's werewolf curse. He did have some character development and his relationship with Caroline was the main reason for it.
Because Tyler played such a prominent role in Caroline's life during the first half of the series, he can't be written off. But their relationship eventually turned hostile, and Tyler continued to put his need for revenge over being with Caroline. When Tyler is killed by Damon in the final season, Caroline doesn't appear to be too torn up about it.
Lorenzo St. John
Caroline and Enzo were never an official couple, but he was a viable love interest for Caroline. Enzo clearly had an interest in her, but Caroline was blinded by her feelings for Stefan. Despite nothing ever happening between them, Enzo treated Caroline better than most of her love interests.
He was always there when she needed help, and he even told off Stefan after realizing that Stefan made her cry. Enzo ended up falling in love with Bonnie, but out of all of Caroline's potential suitors, Enzo was one of the best.
Stefan Salvatore
Fans had mixed feelings about Stefan and Caroline's relationship. On the one hand, they were best friends who knew each other better than anyone else, and on the other hand, a romance between them felt very forced. The biggest complaint among viewers is that Stefan and Caroline lack chemistry.
Stefan never appeared to love Caroline as much as he had loved Elena, which made it hard to buy into their relationship. However, there's no denying that Stefan and Caroline's love story drove the plot of the final few seasons, and it was one of the few relationships that remained relatively pure. When Stefan sacrifices himself on their wedding night, they make a promise to love each other forever.
Klaus Mikaelson
Klaus and Caroline are one of, if not, the, most popular relationships in The Vampire Diaries universe. Klaus was the oldest and most feared vampire in the history of time, and no one expected him to be at the mercy of an optimistic small-town girl from Mystic Falls. No matter how many horrible things Klaus did, Caroline continued to see the good in him. But Klaus leaving the series for The Originals spinoff forced them to put whatever was between them on pause.
Years after Stefan's death, Caroline tracks down Klaus, and the two are able to rekindle their old flame before Klaus sacrifices himself to save his daughter. Before he dies, Caroline tells Klaus that she'll never forget him. When the characters end up in an alternate universe in Legacies, in which Hope was never born and Klaus never left Mystic Falls, he and Caroline are married and taking the world by storm. To fans, this was confirmation that the two are star-crossed lovers.