What origin is the name Karen?

Karen comes from greek naming traditions. Names from this origin often carry meanings tied to nature, virtues or heritage.

Is Karen a popular name?

Karen is very rare in official US birth records — fewer than 5 babies of this gender were given the name in any year we checked.

What are good brother names for Karen?

Names from the same greek tradition pair naturally with Karen — for example Alexander, Christopher, Lucas. You can browse more on our greek names page.

Karen

Q: Is Karen a rare name?

Yes. Karen does not appear in US Social Security birth records, which list every name given to at least 5 babies, so it is rare in the US.

Discover the meaning and origin of the name Karen

Karen

Unisex

greek

2 syllables

Karen is a greek unisex name meaning "Pure; abbreviation of katherine. pure; variant of catherine: pure, clear. form of the latin katharina, from the greek aikaterina".

With greek roots, Karen is a unisex name that means "Pure; abbreviation of katherine. pure; variant of catherine: pure, clear. form of the latin katharina, from the greek aikaterina". It has 2 syllables.

Origin: greek
Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 2

Meaning compiled from public name lists.

Meaning

Pure; abbreviation of katherine. pure; variant of catherine: pure, clear. form of the latin katharina, from the greek aikaterina

Popularity

Very rare in US records (source: US Social Security Administration birth records (best rank 2008–2017))

Quick answers about Karen

Very rare in US records

What does Karen mean?

Karen is a unisex name of greek origin meaning "Pure; abbreviation of katherine. pure; variant of catherine: pure, clear. form of the latin katharina, from the greek aikaterina".