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Karen name popularity by year

Karen: 40,591 US girls in 1957; 175 in 2025. Annual usage fell 99.6% from its 1950–2025 peak, in Social Security records.

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What the data shows

  • Karen: 24,132 in 1950, 175 in 2025 (99% lower). It peaked at 40,591 in 1957.

About this chart

The gap between Karen's peak and its recent usage is substantial: 40,591 US girls in 1957, compared with 175 in 2025. The count was 24,132 in 1950 and 2,174 in 2000. By 2025, it was 175, a decline of 99.6% from the peak displayed. The annual chart follows this exact spelling, rather than grouping together similar names or nicknames.

The more recent observations show 1,288 girls named Karen in 2010 and 332 in 2020. Social Security counts names from applications associated with a birth year; these totals do not count everyone alive who has the name. The source suppresses names used fewer than five times, but every year shown here has a published count.

The data

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, baby names from Social Security card applications (names given to 5 or more babies). Retrieved November 5, 2026. US girls with this exact spelling, by birth year. Counts reflect Social Security applications, not all people currently bearing the name. Names with fewer than five occurrences are suppressed; every displayed year has a reported count.

The rise and fall of Karen, US girls named Karen, 1950–2025, 1950–2025
DateKaren
195024,132
195127,998
195228,956
195329,858
195432,456
195533,217
195640,052
195740,591
195838,487
195936,784
196036,378
196134,707
196235,184
196332,492
196430,243
196532,869
196625,450
196721,537
196819,560
196917,633
197016,699
197114,214
197211,181
19739,352
19748,643
19758,168
19767,505
19777,441
19786,371
19795,599
19805,055
19814,539
19824,153
19833,787
19843,536
19853,138
19862,801
19872,580
19882,567
19892,758
19902,716
19912,601
19922,765
19932,806
19942,487
19952,269
19962,401
19972,226
19982,073
19992,172
20002,174
20012,194
20022,225
20032,331
20042,168
20052,065
20062,031
20072,172
20081,816
20091,433
20101,288
20111,104
2012897
2013730
2014633
2015627
2016617
2017554
2018470
2019440
2020332
2021229
2022199
2023226
2024186
2025175

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Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Karen?

Social Security recorded 175 US girls named Karen in 2025, the latest birth year in this series. The annual count was 99.6% below its displayed peak.

When was Karen most popular?

Within the 1950–2025 series, Karen reached its highest annual count in 1957, with 40,591 girls. This identifies the highest count, not the name’s rank or its share of all births.

What does the name count include?

The figures cover US girls recorded under the exact spelling Karen in Social Security applications, grouped by birth year. They are annual name counts, not the number of living people with the name.

Where does this data come from?

U.S. Social Security Administration, baby names from Social Security card applications (names given to 5 or more babies). Retrieved November 5, 2026. US girls with this exact spelling, by birth year. Counts reflect Social Security applications, not all people currently bearing the name. Names with fewer than five occurrences are suppressed; every displayed year has a reported count. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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