Karen
Karen is a given name and occasional surname. In English, it is a feminine given name derived from the name Katherine.
- Danish
- Norwegian
- Icelandic
- English
Meaning & Origin of Karen
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Karen is a given name and occasional surname. In English, it is a feminine given name derived from the name Katherine.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Danish
- Norwegian
- Icelandic
- English
- German
- Armenian
- Japanese
The Story of Karen
Karen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1881, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1957: 40,590 births, good for #5 nationwide. About 34% of every Karen on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Karen ranks #1,441 for baby girls with 153 births, falling sharply (-54%). All told, over 988K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Karen
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Karen. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Caetlin
- Caitlin
- Caitlyn
- Caja
- Caren
- Caryn
- Catharine
- Catherin
- Catherina
- Catherine
- Cathleen
- Cathrine
- Cathryn
- Catrina
- Catrine
- Ina
- Kaitlin
- Kaitlyn
- Kaitlynn
- Kaja
- Karena
- Karyn
- Katarina
- Katarine
- Katelin
- Katelyn
- Katelynn
- Katharina
- Katharine
- Katharyn
- Katherina
- Katherine
- Katheryn
- Katheryne
- Kathleen
- Kathlyn
- Kathrine
- Kathryn
- Katlyn
- Katrín
- Katrin
- Katrina
- Katrine
- Kerena
- Garegin
- Garen
- Garik
- Karekin
Names that sound like Karen
Phonetically similar names — useful when Karen is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Karen
What does the name Karen mean?
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How popular is Karen in 2026?
When was Karen most popular?
In which U.S. states is Karen most popular?
Is Karen a unisex name?
What names go well with Karen?
What are nicknames or variants of Karen?
About the name Karen
Karen is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 988K births in the dataset. Karen's peak popularity came in 1957 when it ranked #3. Use the chart and map above to compare Karen's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1957 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.