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Kari

Meaning: Uncertain; possibly each of the two, traditionally linked to pure
Origin: Greek — Norwegian short form of Katrine

Girl's name · #2087 in the US (2025) · Retro

Popularity over time

Kari reached #127 in 1976 and has faded to #2087 since. About 60,000 girls have carried it since 1934.

Across the states

See where Kari is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 14 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Kari ranks in other countries and regions.

#222 in Norway (2025) · #2,203 in Sweden (2025) · #7,373 in Ecuador (2025) · #2,762 in Austria (2024) · #5,892 in England & Wales (2024) · #3,290 in Canada (2023) · #603 in Scotland (2014) · #1,357 in Belgium (2007) · #503 in Ireland (1989).

Famous Karis

Kari Wahlgren — American voice actress (born 1977)
Kari Byron — American television host and artist (born 1974)
Kari Wuhrer — American actress (born 1967)
Kari Matchett — Canadian actress (born 1970)
Kari Lake — American political figure (born 1969)

In stories & tradition

Kari Kamiya — Digimon Adventure (anime series)
Kari — Fictional character in Henrik Ibsen's «Peer Gynt», a househilder's wife and friend of Peer's mother, Aase
Kari al'Thor — The Wheel of Time (novel series)

What Karis become

Among 1,027 notable people named Kari:

Political leaders appear 1.87× more often than among typical names — e.g. Kari Lake, American political figure (born 1969).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variants Carrie (#2726) and Khari (#3051), Kari would rank around #1129 with about 210 births last year — the newborns split about 44/30/26 across Kari, Carrie, and Khari.

Similar names: Carrie · Mindy · Cara · Mariyah · Toni · Charity

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

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