Total births
987,989
Girls' name · since 1881
Karen
987,989 babies named Karen in U.S. Social Security records since 1881, with the highest year being 1957. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1251
- among girls today
- 987,989
- born since 1881
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Karen currently ranks #1251 among girls' names in America, with 987,989 babies recorded since 1881.
Social Security Administration records show Karen recorded 987,989 times among girls since 1881, holding rank #1251 nationally today, ahead of 93% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #1251 among girls today
- 987,989 born since 1881
- 1950s peak decade
- 93% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Karen is currently the #1251 girls' name in America, more common than 93% of girls - 987,989 born since 1881, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1251
- among girls today
- 987,989
- born since 1881
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Karen vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1251
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Karen was born in this single decade.
1957
Single peak year
40,591 babies were named Karen in 1957 - its busiest year on record.
How Karen compares
987,989 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Karen's all-time total is 2,586x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Karen | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 987,989 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 40,591 | 48 | 19,840 |
Karen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Karen's SSA record in two at 1956 and the more recent half accounts for 63% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 37%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1888, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1957 peak of 40,591, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Karen at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1957
Current rank
#1,251
Active since
1881
Karen popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (1957)
- 40,591
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Karen popularity over time - boys
2,785 total births recorded since 1935 (Karen as boys' name)
Karen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Karen's strongest decade.
332,531 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Karen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 49
1880s
49 births
- 1890s 79
1890s
79 births
- 1900s 98
1900s
98 births
- 1910s 304
1910s
304 births
- 1920s 564
1920s
564 births
- 1930s 16,692
1930s
16,692 births
- 1940s
1940s
167,700 births
- 1950s
1950s
332,531 births
- 1960s
1960s
286,053 births
- 1970s 95,173
1970s
95,173 births
- 1980s 34,914
1980s
34,914 births
- 1990s 24,516
1990s
24,516 births
- 2000s 20,609
2000s
20,609 births
- 2010s 7,360
2010s
7,360 births
- 2020s 1,347
2020s
1,347 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 332,531 births (34% of all-time use).
How Karen compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Karen's total volume
Karen vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Karen by state
Where Karen concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 91,366 | 9.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 88,448 | 9.0% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 65,917 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 61,295 | 6.2% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 60,539 | 6.1% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 51,735 | 5.2% |
| #7 | Texas | | 46,501 | 4.7% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 34,449 | 3.5% |
California share of Karen's total US births 9.2%
Even split
91,366 of 987,989 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Karen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karen? ▼
987,989 babies have been named Karen since 1881. It currently ranks #1251 among girls. The peak year was 1957 with 40,591 births.
When was Karen most popular? ▼
Karen was most popular in the 1950s decade with 332,531 total births. The single peak year was 1957.
Where is Karen most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Karen are California (91,366 births), New York (88,448 births), Pennsylvania (65,917 births).
How long has the name Karen been used? ▼
Records for Karen go back to 1881, giving 145 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Karen? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kara, Karla, Karina, Kari, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Karen's data
- Karen's decade-level peak was the 1950s (332,531 total births); usage has since declined to 1,347 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karens (91,366 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Karen
Nearby Names Like Karen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karen
Kara Girl
#990 101,743 births
Karla Girl
#733 91,586 births
Karina Girl
#772 61,464 births
Kari Girl
#1843 59,696 births
Karin Girl
#8000 28,532 births
Compare Karen side by side: Karen vs Kara Karen vs Karla Karen vs Karina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Karen
Fern #1250
37,666 births · Peak 1918
Evangelina #1252
10,319 births · Peak 2012
Ripley #1249
2,555 births · Peak 2025
Karolina #1253
4,676 births · Peak 2007
Aliah #1248
5,831 births · Peak 2015
Giulia #1254
3,783 births · Peak 2022
Leni #1247
1,935 births · Peak 2023
Kalia #1255
5,870 births · Peak 2008
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1881–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Karen: #1251 Girls' Name - 987,989 Births, Peak 1957." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/karen. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Karen draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.