Karen is a feminine given name of English origin. It means "pure" or "clear", which can also be translated as "virginal". The name comes from the Middle English name Keren, which was derived from the Old English word "carian", meaning "pure". In some cases, Karen may also be considered a variant spelling of the Irish surname Carey, which means "from the castle or town of Cariage".
The name Karen gained popularity in the mid-20th century. It first appeared on the United States Social Security Administration's list of popular baby names in 1948 and quickly rose to become one of the most common girl names during the 1950s and 1960s. At its peak, Karen was the second most popular name for girls born in the United States in 1962.
Some notable individuals named Karen include American actresses Karen Black (b. 1939) and Karen Carpenter (1950-1983), Canadian singer-songwriter Karen Carpenter, and British author Karen Maitland (b. 1954). However, the popularity of the name has since declined, and it is now considered less common.
Despite its popularity in the past, there are no significant historical figures or events associated with the name Karen. Its meaning and sound have contributed to its appeal as a girl's name over time.
Here are some fascinating statistics about the name Karen based on birth records in the United States:
* The name Karen first gained popularity in the late 1930s and early 1940s, with a significant increase in births recorded from 1940 onwards.
* In 1942, there were 65 babies named Karen, marking the highest number of births for that year. This peak continued into the following years, with 54 births in 1943 and 49 in 1944.
* However, popularity began to decline in the late 1940s and early 1950s, with only 36 births recorded each year from 1952 to 1954.
* The name Karen experienced a resurgence in popularity starting from the mid-1950s. In 1956 alone, there were 72 births recorded for the name, and this upward trend continued until 1963 with 83 births.
* Despite fluctuations in popularity over the decades, Karen remained relatively consistent as a baby girl's name throughout much of the latter half of the century. For instance:
+ In the 1960s, there were an average of around 75 births per year for Karen.
+ In the 1970s and early 1980s, this number dipped slightly to about 30-40 births per year on average.
* As time went on, fewer babies named Karen were born annually. From the mid-1980s onwards, birth records showed steady decreases in popularity for the name:
+ By the late 1990s and early 2000s, only around 10-20 births per year were recorded for Karen.
+ In recent years, with the most recent data available being from 2023, there were just five babies named Karen born in the United States.