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Karen

Girl's name · #1281 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Karen reached its best rank, #3, in 1965 and ranked #1281 in 2025. About 988,000 girls have carried it since 1881.

Across the states

See where Karen is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 21 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Karen ranks in other countries and regions.

#179 in Ecuador (2025) · #220 in Mexico (2024) · #442 in Norway (2025) · #717 in Italy (2024) · #2,203 in Sweden (2025) · #2,440 in England & Wales (2025) · #2,752 in Austria (2025) · #3,044 in Canada (2025) · #5,085 in France (2025) · #878 in Poland (2022) · #871 in Ireland (2019) · #1,402 in Belgium (2015) and 6 more.

Famous Karens

• Karen Blixen — Danish writer (1885–1962)
• Karen Gillan — Scottish actress and filmmaker (born 1987)
• Karen Horney — German psychoanalyst (1885–1952)
• Karen Black — American actress, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter (1939–2013)
• Karen Uhlenbeck — American mathematician (born 1942)
• Karen Carpenter — American singer and drummer (1950–1983)
• Karen Allen — American actress (born 1951)
• Karen Bass — Mayor of Los Angeles since 2022 (born 1953)
• Karen Fukuhara — American actress (born 1992)
• Karen Armstrong — Author and comparative religion scholar from Great Britain (born 1944)

In stories & tradition

• Karen (Power Girl) — DC Comics superheroine
• Karen Page — Daredevil (film)
• Karen Plankton — SpongeBob SquarePants (TV series)

What Karens become

Among 3,221 notable people named Karen:

No single standout — notable Karens spread across many fields.

Similar names: Katie · Cynthia · Carla · Susan · Kathleen · Nancy

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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