Names / Girl names
Karen
Current rank
#1,281
and easing
All-time peak
#3
in 1965
First recorded
1881
in U.S. data
Children named
990,700
since 1881
Popularity over time
Annual U.S. children given the name · Peak #3 in 1965 · Source: Social Security Administration
Meaning & background
Karen first appears in American naming records in 1881, where it reads as a girls' name. It currently sits off the most-common lists, a quieter choice. Its strongest year was 1965, at #3 nationally. Across all years, more than 990,700 children have been named this.