Karen vs Karla

Side-by-side comparison of Karen and Karla — 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

Karla

Girl name · Rank #730

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Karen Karla
Current Rank #1260 #730
Total Births (all years) 987,811 91,241
Peak Year 1957 1964
Peak Year Births 40,590 2,060
Peak Decade 1950ss 1960ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1881 1915

Births by Decade

Decade Karen Karla
1880ss 49 —
1890ss 79 —
1900ss 98 —
1910ss 304 26
1920ss 564 65
1930ss 16,692 536
1940ss 167,699 3,102
1950ss 332,533 11,463
1960ss 286,054 17,716
1970ss 95,173 11,367
1980ss 34,917 9,360
1990ss 24,515 12,870
2000ss 20,608 16,144
2010ss 7,357 6,553
2020ss 1,169 2,039

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Karen Karla
2014 633 620
2015 627 616
2016 617 554
2017 554 553
2018 470 476
2019 439 427
2020 331 420
2021 229 411
2022 199 425
2023 226 398
2024 184 385

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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