Karen ( KARR -əngiven name and occasional surname . In English , it is a feminine given name derived from the name Katherine , and it is also found in modern Africa , as well as in East Asia (particularly Japan ). However, in other countries such as Iran and Armenia , it is a masculine name deriving from Middle Iranian . The name 'Karen' also became a popular nickname for middle aged women that easily resort to asking for management in the face of adversity.
English
Karen entered the English language from Danish , where it has been a short form of "Katherine" since medieval times.[ 1] United States during the 1950s and 1960s, peaking as the third most popular girl's name in 1965.[ 2]
Variants include Caren , Caryn , Karena , Karin , Karyn , and others.[ 3]
Due to its increasingly common derogatory use since 2017, the name has become significantly less popular in the United States in recent years.[ 4]
Armenian
In Armenia Karen (Armenian : Կարեն , IPA: [kɑˈɾɛn]
The masculine given name Karen derived from the Parthian name of House of Karen (or Caren), one of the seven aristocratic families of ancient Iran. Several Iranian princes named Karen are known before and after the Islamic period. The Karen house ruled the Tabaristan region of Iran, which approximately corresponds to the current provinces of Gilan state and Mazandaran .
The masculine given name Garen Western Armenian form of the Eastern Armenian Karen .
The masculine given name Karen was mentioned by the prominent Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; Armenian: Մովսես Խորենացի) in his book History of Armenia [ 5]
Karen can also be a surname.
In East Asia
In East Asia , Karen is a feminine given name. The name can be found in Japan . It may come from 可憐 [ 6] 華蓮 [ 7]
Notable people
First name
Karen Aardal (born 1961), Norwegian and Dutch applied mathematicianKaren Ackerman (born 1951), American children's authorKaren Aline Peliçari (born 1989), Brazilian footballerKaren Allen (born 1951), American actressKaren Alexander (disambiguation) , several peopleKaren Anderson (writer) (1932–2018), American fantasy writerKaren Anderson (squash player) (born 1971), Jamaican squash playerKaren Anette Anti (born 1972), Norwegian Sami politicianKaren Armstrong (born 1944), British author on comparative religionKaren Arthur (born 1941), American film director, producer, and actressKaren Dianne Baldwin (born 1963), Miss Universe 1982Karen Bass (writer) (born 1962), Canadian author of young adult fictionKaren Bernstein (born 1969), Canadian voice actressKaren Bjornson (born 1952), American modelKaren Black (1939–2013), American actressKaren Blixen (1885–1962), Danish author under the pen name Isak DinesenKaren Breumsø (born 1979), Danish Paralympic swimmerKaren Carlson (born 1944), American actressKaren Carpenter (1950–1983), American singer and drummerKaren Cashman , American short track speed skaterKaren Cellini (born 1958), American actressKaren Chen , American figure skaterKaren Chin , American paleontologist, coprolitologist, and taphonomistKaren Clark-Sheard (born 1960), American gospel singer and songwriter, member of the Clark Sisters Karen Cockburn (born 1980), Canadian Olympic trampolinistKaren Connelly (born 1969), Canadian travel writer and novelistKaren Crouse , American journalist and authorKaren Daley , president of the American Nurses Association Karen Dalton (1937-1993), American country blues musician.Karen David (born 1979/1980), Indian-born Canadian actressKaren Davila (born 1970), Filipina newscaster and broadcast journalistKaren delos Reyes (born 1984), Filipina actressKaren Devine , American computer scientistKaren Dotrice (born 1955), English former actressKaren Dunne (born 1967), American track and road cyclistKaren Elson (born 1979), British model and singerKaren Fairchild co-lead singer of (Little Big Town )Karen Fisher , New Zealand geographerKaren Fogg , British diplomatKaren Fralich , Canadian artistKaren Friedman , several peopleKaren Fukuhara (born 1992), American actressKaren Gillan (born 1987), Scottish actressKaren L. Gould (born 1948) American scholar of French-Canadian literature, president of Brooklyn College Karen Hampton (disambiguation) , several peopleKaren Handel (born 1962), American politicianKaren Harding (born 1991), English singerKaren Hassan (born 1981), Northern Irish actressKaren Haude , German field hockey playerKaren Horning (born 1966), Peruvian breaststroke swimmerKaren Kain (born 1951), Canadian ballerina, currently artistic director of the National Ballet of CanadaKaren Kamon (1951–2020), American singer and actressKaren Keys-Gamarra , American politician from VirginiaKaren Kilgariff (born 1970), American comedian and podcast hostKaren Killilea (1940–2020), subject of two books by her mother, Marie KillileaKaren Kingsbury (born 1963), Christian fiction authorKaren King-Aribisala , Nigerian writerKaren Kohanowich , former United States Navy diverKaren Kong (born 1984), Malaysian singerKaren Kopins (born 1961), American beauty pageant winner, actress and modelKaren Kotte (died 1509), Danish merchantKaren Kurreck (born 1962), American road cyclistKaren LaFace (born 1966), American diverKaren Lam , Canadian filmmakerKaren Lam (researcher) , diabetes and obesity researcherKaren Lancaume (1973–2005), French pornographic actressKaren Lang , American mayorKaren MacLeod (1958–2021), British long-distance runnerMØ (Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen) , Danish singerKaren Marrongelle , American mathematics educatorKaren Matheson , Scottish folk singerKaren McDougal (born 1971), American model, actress and Playboy PlaymateKaren Mok (born 1970), Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriterKaren Morrison-Comstock (born 1955), Miss USA 1974Karen Montell , American politicianKaren Mulder (born 1970), Dutch model and singerKaren Muir (1952–2013), South African swimmerKaren L. Nyberg (born 1969), American astronautKaren O (born 1978), American Singer/Musician of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Karen O'Leary , New Zealand comedianKaren Palacios , Venezuelan clarinetistKaren Pence (born 1957), Second Lady of the United States Karen Pickering (born 1971), British swimmerKaren Poutasi (born 1949), New Zealand government officialKaren Prell (born 1959), American puppeteer and animatorKaren Press (born 1956), South African poetKaren Ann Quinlan (1954–1985), central figure in an American right-to-die controversyKaren Reyes (born 1996), Filipina actressKaren Rosenberg (born 1975), Danish singerKaren Sheffield (born 1961), Canadian judo championKaren Smith (Australian field hockey) (born 1979), Australian field hockey playerKaren Smith (New Zealand field hockey) (born 1970), New Zealand field hockey playerKaren Smyers (born 1961), American triathleteKaren Spencer, Countess Spencer , wife of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer Karen Strassman (born 1966), American voice actressKaren Taylor (comedian) (born 1976), British comedianKaren Elizabeth Tilley , Miss Canada 1985Karen Valentine (born 1947), American actressKaren Villanueva (born 1998), Mexican rhythmic gymnastKaren Vogtmann (born 1949), American mathematicianKaren Winkfield (born 1970), American radiation oncologist and physician-scientistKaren Young (1951–1991), American disco singerKaren Zoid (born 1987), South African rock singer
Surname
Anna Karen (1936–2022), South African British actressJames Karen (1923–2018), American actorTom Karen (1926–2022), Austrian-born British industrial designer
West Asian people
Armenian people
Karen Abrahamyan (born 1966), Armenian politicianKaren Aghamyan (born 1946), Armenian painterKaren Aleksanyan (born 1980), Armenian football midfielderKaren Andreasyan (born 1977), Armenian human rights defenderKaren Asatryan (born 1974), Armenian football playerKaren Asrian (1980–2008), Armenian chess grandmasterKaren Demirchyan (1932–1999), Armenian politicianKaren Drambjan (1954–2011), Armenian-born Estonian lawyer, politician and activistKaren Jalavyan (born 1971), Armenian Colonel in ArtsakhKaren Kavaleryan (born 1961), Russian musician and composerKaren Karapetyan (born 1963), Armenian politician and Prime minister of Armenia from 2016 to 2018Karen Khachanov (born 1996), Russian tennis player of Armenian descentKaren Khachaturian (1920–2011), Russian composer of Armenian descentKaren Sargsyan (conductor) (born 1952), Armenian choirmasterKaren Shakhnazarov (born 1952), Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter of Armenian descent
Surname
Iranian people
Zarmihr Karen (died 558), Iranian nobleman and Sasanian governor of Zabulistan
East Asian people
Karen Iwata (born 1998), Japanese singerKaren Kong , Malaysian singerKaren Makishima (born 1976), Japanese politicianKaren Miyama (born 1996), Japanese actressKaren Mok (born 1970), Hong Kong singer and actressKaren Nun-Ira (born 1991), Japanese judokaKaren Tanaka (born 1961), Japanese composerKaren Takizawa (born 1992), Japanese model, tarento and actressKaren Yu (born 1980), Taiwanese politician
Fictional people
Live action
Karen, a character in the 2012 American comedy movie Wanderlust
Karen (The Walking Dead ) , a female character in the TV series The Walking Dead Karen Arnold, a character in the American coming-of-age, comedy-drama television series The Wonder Years
Karen Barclay, on the hit 1988 horror film Child's Play
Karen Brockman, character from British comedy Outnumbered
Karen Collins, wife of protagonist in Irving Wallace 's novel The R Document
Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie , on the television series Knots Landing Karen Darling, on the television series Dirty Sexy Money
Karen Davis , in the 2004 motion picture The Grudge Karen Filippelli , on the U.S. version of the television series The Office Karen Fisher, headteacher in Waterloo Road
Karen Foster , fictional character on Step By Step Karen Hayes , on the television series 24 Karen Holmes, a character played by Deborah Kerr in 1953 movie From Here to Eternity
Karen McDonald , on ITV soap opera Coronation Street Karen Mizuki , in J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai Karen Nelson in the motion picture Halloween
Karen Page , a version of the comics character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Karen Pelly, from the Canadian series Corner Gas
Karen Richards, a character played by Celeste Holm in the 1950 motion picture All About Eve
Karen Roe, a character from the One Tree Hill
Karen Sisco Carla Gugino Karen Smith, played by Amanda Seyfried in the motion picture Mean Girls
Karen Spencer , on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful Karen Taylor , in the BBC soap opera EastEnders Chief Karen Vick , a character from the American television dramedy Psych
Karen Walker , in the television series Will & Grace Karen Wheeler, a main character on the show Stranger Things
Karen Yeo, a character from the 2006 Singaporean film I Not Stupid Too
Animation
Caren, a character in Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
Karen , companion of Frosty the Snowman Karen (Pokémon ) , a character in the Pokémon mediaKaren, in Sister Princess
Karen, a character and bachelorette in the Story of Seasons
Karen Aijou, the main protagonist of Revue Starlight
Karen Araragi, in Bakemonogatari
Karen Jones, a character in the game Red Dead Redemption 2
Karen Joshua, in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
Karen Kasumi, a firemaster in anime and manga X/1999
Karen Kisaragi, in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School
Karen Kouzuki (Kallen Stadtfeld) in Code Geass Karen Kujō from Kin-iro Mosaic
Karen Low, a character from the anime Jormungand
Karen McCormick, Kenny's younger sister in the Comedy Central series South Park
Karen Minazuki, in Yes! Pretty Cure 5
Karen Onodera from Please Twins! Karen Plankton , one of two main antagonists in SpongeBob SquarePants film series Karen Tendō, in Gamers!
Karen Travers, a character in the game Scarlet Nexus
Print
Karen Page , a character created by Marvel ComicsKaren Starr, a character created by DC Comics, civilian identity of Power Girl
See also
References
