Karen
#1,279 for girls in 2025, 175 births · Last seen for boys in 2023 at #12,239
Given to girls 99.7% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1965 · 32,869 births
- Debut · girls
- 6 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 49 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 987,989since 1881
Karen over time
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #1,279 | 175 | — | |
| 2024 | #1,250 | 186 | — | |
| 2023 | #1,089 | 226 | #12,239 | 5 |
| 2022 | #1,216 | 199 | — | |
| 2021 | #1,088 | 229 | — | |
| 2020 | #821 | 332 | #10,605 | 6 |
| 2019 | #662 | 440 | #10,803 | 6 |
| 2018 | #636 | 470 | — | |
| 2017 | #556 | 554 | #9,696 | 7 |
| 2016 | #508 | 617 | — | |
| 2015 | #505 | 627 | #12,086 | 5 |
| 2014 | #494 | 633 | — | |
| 2013 | #416 | 730 | — | |
| 2012 | #354 | 897 | #12,274 | 5 |
| 2011 | #287 | 1,104 | #9,600 | 7 |
| 2010 | #248 | 1,288 | #8,803 | 8 |
| 2009 | #231 | 1,433 | — | |
| 2008 | #187 | 1,816 | #12,553 | 5 |
| 2007 | #165 | 2,172 | #6,622 | 12 |
| 2006 | #173 | 2,031 | #6,904 | 11 |
| 2005 | #164 | 2,065 | #7,640 | 9 |
| 2004 | #155 | 2,168 | #6,138 | 12 |
| 2003 | #141 | 2,331 | #6,715 | 10 |
| 2002 | #150 | 2,225 | #9,392 | 6 |
| 2001 | #148 | 2,194 | #4,302 | 18 |
| 2000 | #153 | 2,174 | #3,922 | 20 |
| 1999 | #149 | 2,172 | #4,762 | 14 |
| 1998 | #152 | 2,073 | #8,479 | 6 |
| 1997 | #142 | 2,226 | #6,100 | 9 |
| 1996 | #133 | 2,401 | #4,022 | 16 |
| 1995 | #142 | 2,269 | #3,432 | 19 |
| 1994 | #128 | 2,487 | #3,751 | 17 |
| 1993 | #116 | 2,806 | #2,295 | 33 |
| 1992 | #121 | 2,765 | #2,747 | 25 |
| 1991 | #122 | 2,601 | #2,989 | 21 |
| 1990 | #120 | 2,716 | #3,309 | 18 |
| 1989 | #110 | 2,758 | #1,953 | 37 |
| 1988 | #111 | 2,567 | #2,765 | 20 |
| 1987 | #107 | 2,580 | #1,829 | 35 |
| 1986 | #100 | 2,801 | #2,360 | 23 |
| 1985 | #87 | 3,138 | #2,116 | 26 |
| 1984 | #82 | 3,536 | #1,933 | 28 |
| 1983 | #77 | 3,787 | #2,272 | 22 |
| 1982 | #68 | 4,153 | #1,815 | 31 |
| 1981 | #64 | 4,539 | #2,204 | 23 |
| 1980 | #54 | 5,055 | #2,003 | 27 |
| 1979 | #46 | 5,599 | #1,753 | 32 |
| 1978 | #39 | 6,371 | #2,134 | 22 |
| 1977 | #32 | 7,441 | #1,858 | 27 |
| 1976 | #31 | 7,505 | #1,502 | 36 |
| 1975 | #27 | 8,168 | #1,704 | 29 |
| 1974 | #26 | 8,643 | #1,439 | 36 |
| 1973 | #23 | 9,352 | #1,312 | 40 |
| 1972 | #21 | 11,181 | #1,163 | 49 |
| 1971 | #15 | 14,214 | #1,081 | 57 |
| 1970 | #12 | 16,699 | #1,192 | 48 |
| 1969 | #13 | 17,633 | #885 | 74 |
| 1968 | #9 | 19,560 | #1,057 | 49 |
| 1967 | #6 | 21,537 | #986 | 54 |
| 1966 | #5 | 25,450 | #901 | 64 |
| 1965 | #3 | 32,869 | #820 | 81 |
| 1964 | #4 | 30,243 | #788 | 91 |
| 1963 | #4 | 32,492 | #829 | 83 |
| 1962 | #4 | 35,184 | #879 | 75 |
| 1961 | #5 | 34,707 | #859 | 79 |
| 1960 | #4 | 36,378 | #892 | 72 |
| 1959 | #4 | 36,784 | #843 | 80 |
| 1958 | #4 | 38,487 | #936 | 66 |
| 1957 | #5 | 40,591 | #853 | 77 |
| 1956 | #7 | 40,052 | #880 | 72 |
| 1955 | #8 | 33,217 | #1,066 | 50 |
| 1954 | #8 | 32,456 | #1,020 | 54 |
| 1953 | #9 | 29,858 | #939 | 58 |
| 1952 | #8 | 28,956 | #1,227 | 36 |
| 1951 | #8 | 27,998 | #1,261 | 34 |
| 1950 | #12 | 24,132 | #1,203 | 36 |
| 1949 | #11 | 22,468 | #1,097 | 41 |
| 1948 | #12 | 21,996 | #1,194 | 36 |
| 1947 | #13 | 21,648 | #1,190 | 37 |
| 1946 | #15 | 19,647 | #1,111 | 39 |
| 1945 | #16 | 15,680 | #864 | 52 |
| 1944 | #16 | 15,944 | #906 | 49 |
| 1943 | #15 | 16,816 | #908 | 54 |
| 1942 | #16 | 15,387 | #795 | 65 |
| 1941 | #19 | 10,831 | #960 | 44 |
| 1940 | #34 | 7,283 | #1,067 | 37 |
| 1939 | #39 | 5,541 | #1,636 | 17 |
| 1938 | #50 | 4,508 | #1,476 | 21 |
| 1937 | #113 | 2,232 | #2,479 | 9 |
| 1936 | #132 | 1,718 | #1,964 | 13 |
| 1935 | #172 | 1,097 | #2,719 | 8 |
| 1934 | #258 | 588 | — | |
| 1933 | #283 | 453 | — | |
| 1932 | #367 | 303 | — | |
| 1931 | #535 | 152 | — | |
| 1930 | #689 | 100 | — | |
| 1929 | #798 | 78 | — | |
| 1928 | #816 | 78 | — | |
| 1927 | #1,010 | 57 | — | |
| 1926 | #952 | 62 | — | |
| 1925 | #1,089 | 49 | — | |
| 1924 | #999 | 58 | — | |
| 1923 | #1,101 | 48 | — | |
| 1922 | #1,078 | 50 | — | |
| 1921 | #1,184 | 42 | — | |
| 1920 | #1,171 | 42 | — | |
| 1919 | #1,527 | 27 | — | |
| 1918 | #960 | 56 | — | |
| 1917 | #1,026 | 47 | — | |
| 1916 | #1,087 | 42 | — | |
| 1915 | #1,140 | 36 | — | |
| 1914 | #1,023 | 34 | — | |
| 1913 | #1,766 | 12 | — | |
| 1912 | #960 | 28 | — | |
| 1911 | #1,450 | 11 | — | |
| 1910 | #1,421 | 11 | — | |
| 1909 | #1,219 | 12 | — | |
| 1908 | #1,135 | 13 | — | |
| 1907 | #1,037 | 14 | — | |
| 1906 | #917 | 16 | — | |
| 1905 | #1,162 | 11 | — | |
| 1904 | #1,092 | 11 | — | |
| 1903 | #1,318 | 8 | — | |
| 1902 | — | — | ||
| 1901 | #1,679 | 5 | — | |
| 1900 | #1,431 | 8 | — | |
| 1899 | #1,099 | 9 | — | |
| 1898 | #1,263 | 8 | — | |
| 1897 | #1,555 | 5 | — | |
| 1896 | #1,122 | 9 | — | |
| 1895 | — | — | ||
| 1894 | #950 | 11 | — | |
| 1893 | #1,175 | 7 | — | |
| 1892 | #958 | 10 | — | |
| 1891 | #1,213 | 6 | — | |
| 1890 | #727 | 14 | — | |
| 1889 | #839 | 10 | — | |
| 1888 | #1,276 | 5 | — | |
| 1887 | #788 | 9 | — | |
| 1886 | #778 | 9 | — | |
| 1885 | #695 | 10 | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | — | — | ||
| 1882 | — | — | ||
| 1881 | #740 | 6 | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | ||
The first year at least five girls were named Karen! It came in at #740, and was given to 6 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1882–1884, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.
See more about Karen
- 29 spots since 2024 (#1,250 → #1,279)
- 458 spots since 2020 (#821 → #1,279)
- 774 spots since 2015 (#505 → #1,279)
- Biggest jump: 490 spots in 1912 (#1,450 → #960)
- Biggest drop: 806 spots in 1913 (#960 → #1,766)
- Debuted 1881
- Peaked 1965 at #3 (32,869 births)
- Births halved by 1971, 6 yrs later
- Top 10: 18 yrs · run 1951–1968
- Top 100: 49 yrs · run 1938–1986
- Top 1,000: 106 yrs · run 1928–2020
- Highest: 1 in 50 girls born in 1956 were named Karen (2.0%)
- Latest: 1 in 9,184 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
- Its best rank, #3 in 1965, was only 1 in 54 (1.9%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
- 33.7% of all girls named Karen (332,531) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 49 | #695 (1885) | #853 |
| 1890s | 79 | #727 (1890) | #1,118 |
| 1900s | 98 | #917 (1906) | #1,221 |
| 1910s | 304 | #960 (1918) | #1,236 |
| 1920s | 564 | #798 (1929) | #1,020 |
| 1930s | 16,692 | #39 (1939) | #264 |
| 1940s | 167,700 | #11 (1949) | #17 |
| 1950s | 332,531 | #4 (1958) | #7 |
| 1960s | 286,053 | #3 (1965) | #6 |
| 1970s | 95,173 | #12 (1970) | #27 |
| 1980s | 34,914 | #54 (1980) | #86 |
| 1990s | 24,516 | #116 (1993) | #133 |
| 2000s | 20,609 | #141 (2003) | #167 |
| 2010s | 7,360 | #248 (2010) | #467 |
| 2020s | 1,347 | #821 (2020) | #1,124 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Karen in 2015
Top girls' names in 2015
Top boys' names in 2015
More about 2015
girls
1,785,098 girls got a published name in 2015; 1 in 2,847 of them was named Karen, which outranked 97.4% of the 19,130 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,916,743 boys got a published name in 2015; 1 in 383,349 of them was named Karen, which outranked 14.0% of the 14,059 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Tied with 1,973 names at #12,086; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.