Karen
A Danish short form of Katrine, so ultimately the Greek Aikaterine.
Popularity, 1880–2025
The Danish form of Katherine, brought by Scandinavian immigrants and a top-five fixture of the 1950s and 60s; internet slang has since given it an unwanted second fame.
Karen first shows up in the national records in 1881. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1938 to 1986. It spent 18 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 1957, when 40,591 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 5 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1965, at No. 3. All told, 990,774 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Karin (28,731), Karyn (14,140), Caryn (12,182), Caren (9,560), Karon (9,406), Karan (4,962) (total births since 1880)
Explore Karen interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 49 | No. 695 |
| 1890s | 79 | No. 727 |
| 1900s | 98 | No. 917 |
| 1910s | 304 | No. 960 |
| 1920s | 564 | No. 798 |
| 1930s | 16,692 | No. 39 |
| 1940s | 167,700 | No. 11 |
| 1950s | 332,531 | No. 4 |
| 1960s | 286,053 | No. 3 |
| 1970s | 95,173 | No. 12 |
| 1980s | 34,914 | No. 54 |
| 1990s | 24,516 | No. 116 |
| 2000s | 20,609 | No. 141 |
| 2010s | 7,360 | No. 248 |
| 2020s | 1,347 | No. 821 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.