Karen vs Kara

Side-by-side comparison of Karen and Kara — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Karen

Girl name · Rank #1260

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Name B

Kara

Girl name · Rank #987

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Karen Kara
Current Rank #1260 #987
Total Births (all years) 987,811 101,514
Peak Year 1957 1991
Peak Year Births 40,590 3,280
Peak Decade 1950ss 1980ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1881 1896

Births by Decade

Decade Karen Kara
1880ss 49 —
1890ss 79 5
1900ss 98 —
1910ss 304 7
1920ss 564 —
1930ss 16,692 81
1940ss 167,699 221
1950ss 332,533 743
1960ss 286,054 7,040
1970ss 95,173 19,760
1980ss 34,917 27,507
1990ss 24,515 23,513
2000ss 20,608 13,490
2010ss 7,357 7,485
2020ss 1,169 1,662

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Karen Kara
2014 633 730
2015 627 624
2016 617 626
2017 554 609
2018 470 621
2019 439 530
2020 331 426
2021 229 373
2022 199 319
2023 226 283
2024 184 261

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1881–2024.

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