Kari
Kari is a unisex given name and surname.
Meaning & Origin of Kari
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kari is a unisex given name and surname.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Kari
Kari first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1934, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1975, when 2,221 Karis were born — ranking #129 that year. As of 2026, Kari ranks #1,950 for baby girls with 102 births, falling sharply (-19%). In total, more than 60K Karis have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kari
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kari 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 Kari
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About the name Kari
Kari is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1934 and has accumulated 60K births in the dataset. Kari's peak popularity came in 1975 when it ranked #127. Use the chart and map above to compare Kari's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1975 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- 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.