Kari
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Kari
Kari and all her many sisters, from Carrie to Carey to Kerry and onward, originated for the most part as short forms of either Catherine Katherine or one of the Charles feminizations such as Carol or Caroline.
Kari for girls#2087 US
The Kari spelling may feel particularly contemporary and flexible in terms of its derivation.
Kari for boys#4470 US
In Norse mythology, the son of the giant who ruled the wind and air; in modern America, recalls a 1970s girl's nickname name, à la Carrie and Keri.
Pronounced KAR-ee.
As of October 2026, Kari ranked #2087 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #127 in 1976.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,832 | 111 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #1,825 | 114 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #1,979 | 101 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #1,640 | 132 | #4,532 | 22 |
| 2018 | #1,558 | 139 | #4,055 | 26 |
| 2019 | #1,534 | 141 | #4,057 | 26 |
| 2020 | #1,480 | 145 | #3,371 | 33 |
| 2021 | #1,547 | 136 | #2,889 | 43 |
| 2022 | #1,630 | 130 | #3,654 | 31 |
| 2023 | #1,767 | 116 | #3,029 | 41 |
| 2024 | #1,841 | 109 | #2,846 | 45 |
| 2025 | #2,087 | 90 | #4,470 | 23 |
World rankings
Kari for girls
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Kari on lists
Famous Karis
- Kari RueslåttenGirl
Norwegian singer
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Norwegian skier
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American actress
- Kari WahlgrenGirl
American voice actress
- Kari AndersonGirl
American actress
- Kari BergGirl
Swedish/Norwegian singer/model/actress
- Kari BremnesGirl
Norwegian singer
- Kari Elizabeth ByronGirl
American TV personality ("MythBusters")
- Kari CorbettGirl
Scottish actress
- Kari Brooke JobeGirl
American singer
- Kari MatchettGirl
Canadian actress
- Kari ArkivuoBoy
Finnish footballer
- Kari AronpuroBoy
Finnish poet
- Kari ElorantaBoy
Finnish footballer and ice hockey player
- Kari EnqvistBoy
Finnish physicist and writer
- Kari HotakainenBoy
Finnish writer
- Kári P. HøjgaardBoy
Faroese politician
- Kari HärkönenBoy
Finnish skier
- Kari JalonenBoy
Finnish ice hockey coach
- Kari KairamoBoy
former CEO of Finnish company Nokia
- Kari KorhonenBoy
Finnish cartoonist
- Kari KriikkuBoy
Finnish clarinet player
- Kari KuivalainenBoy
Finnish musician
- Kari LehtonenBoy
Finnish NHL Goaltender for the Dallas Stars
- Kari MakkonenBoy
Finnish ice hockey player
- Kari MannerlaBoy
Finnish game designer
- Kari MäkinenBoy
Archbishop of Turku
- Kari PeitsamoBoy
Finnish musician
- Kari RajamäkiBoy
Finnish politician
- Kari RistanenBoy
Finnish skier
- Kari RydmanBoy
Finnish composer
- Kari StreymoyBoy
drummer of Faeroese Viking metal band Tyr
- Kári StefánssonBoy
Icelandic founder of deCODE genetics
- Kari SuomalainenBoy
Finnish cartoonist
- Kari TakkoBoy
Finnish ice hockey goalkeeper
- Kari TapioBoy
Finnish singer
- Kari TiainenBoy
Finnish motorcycle rider
- Kari S. TikkaBoy
Finnish legal scholar
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Finnish footballer
- Kari UotilaBoy
Finnish politician
- Kari VäänänenBoy
Finnish actor and director
- Kari YlianttilaBoy
Finnish ski,jumper
Kari in pop culture
- Hikari "Kari" KamiyaGirl
character on animated series "Digimon"
- Kari McKeenGirl
babysitter in movie "The Incredibles"
- KáriBoy
son of Fornjót, personification of wind in Norse mythology
- Kari NordmannBoy
Norwegian "everyman" name
- Kari RagnarssonBoy
character in "Snow,Walker" by Catherine Fisher
- Kari GrandiBoy
Finnish advertising character