Karolyn vs Karen

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

Name A

Karolyn

Girl name · Rank #5611

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Name B

Karen

Girl name · Rank #1260

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Karolyn Karen
Current Rank #5611 #1260
Total Births (all years) 5,939 987,811
Peak Year 1946 1957
Peak Year Births 167 40,590
Peak Decade 1940ss 1950ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1912 1881

Births by Decade

Decade Karolyn Karen
1880ss — 49
1890ss — 79
1900ss — 98
1910ss 47 304
1920ss 111 564
1930ss 472 16,692
1940ss 1,355 167,699
1950ss 791 332,533
1960ss 869 286,054
1970ss 651 95,173
1980ss 470 34,917
1990ss 468 24,515
2000ss 360 20,608
2010ss 252 7,357
2020ss 93 1,169

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Karolyn Karen
2014 30 633
2015 20 627
2016 24 617
2017 27 554
2018 36 470
2019 13 439
2020 17 331
2021 16 229
2022 23 199
2023 15 226
2024 22 184

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, 1912–2024.

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