The name Karen is a boy's name of Persian, Armenian origin meaning "high-value, precious".

Mom Names: the New Generation

Back to School Names

Scandinavian Names That Are Ready to Travel the World

The REAL Top Baby Names of All Time!

20 Most Controversial Baby Names

Doll Names: The History of Doll Names Through the Decades

The Names Really In Danger of Extinction

As a feminine name, Karen's popularity has been tainted by the meme, tying it to a (usually) white, middle-class, middle-aged white woman displaying entitled behaviour and wanting to speak to the manager. However, it is a multicultural choice, which also has its roots as a masculine name in Armenia.
 
Used as a short form of Garegin, Karen is transcribed as such to reflect its Western Armenian pronunciation (kah-REHN). Ultimately borrowed from Persian, it means "precious, high-value", and was the name of the of the Seven Great Houses of Iran in the 6th century.
 
A recent year saw it rank in the Top 30 in its native Armenia.

Karen

Persian

Armenian

The name Karen peaked for boys at #789 in 1964. Karen is occasionally used for girls in 2024.

The name Karen is a girl's name of Danish origin meaning "pure; lotus flower".

Names that Peaked in 1965

Danish Names

Danish Names for Girls

5 Letter Girl Names

Names Ending in N for Girls

Names That Mean Pure

Names That Mean Variation

Two Syllable Names for Girls

Girl Dog Names That Start With K

Girl Cat Names That Start With K

Dog Names That Start With K

Cat Names That Start With K

Danish Names that Start With K

Karen, a once sweet Danish import, was so popular during the baby boom (Karen was Number 3 in 1960) that it's become a mem in recent years, representing a hostile white woman—one who usually wants to speak with the manager.
 
Given to more than 40,000 girls in a single year at its US peak, the name fell out of the US charts in 2020, though it had been on a rapid decline before that. A Danish (and Norwegian) diminutive of Katherine, itself from the Greek Aikaterine, the name it typically said to mean "pure", though the etymology is cloudy.
 
Pronounced as KA-ruhn or KEHR-uhn in English, KAH-rehn is used among Danish speakers. Parents who want to honor a Karen by choosing an updated version of the name might variations from Karina to Kyra to Kaja to Katri, or look at similar sounding options, like the Cornish Kerensa. 
 
There is more to Karen, however, than its current cultural associations in the Western world. It also has its roots in Japanese, in which its typically transcribed to mean "lotus flower" or "waterlily flower". In this case, it would be pronounced KA-REHN.
 
Additionally, in Armenian, it is used as an alternative transcription of Garen (used to reflect the Western Armenian pronunciation), meaning "high value, precious".

Anime Names

Midcentury Baby Names

Top 1970s Baby Names

Top 1940s Baby Names 

Top 1960s Baby Names 

Top 1950s Baby Names 

Cat Names

Chicken Names

Nameberry's Favorite Girl Names

Nameberry's Favorite Names

Jewish Girl Names

Jewish Names

Dog Names

Most Common Names for Girls

Funny Dog Names

Traveling Lite Baby Names

Danish

Nameberry

Unique

Mexico

Iceland

The name Karen is currently ranked #831 in U.S. births. and peaked for girls at #3 in 1965. It is currently rising in popularity. The name is most popular in KAREN, KAREN, and KAREN. Karen is occasionally used for boys in 2023.

Caron

Caryn

Karena

Karen

The name Karen in Nameberry Blog Posts

More Lists containing Karen

Advanced Search

Find your type.