Girls' name · since 1946
Karena
Since 1946, U.S. Social Security records show 3,508 babies named Karena, peaking in 1974. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #3,250 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,190 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,508
- born since 1946
- 1970s
- peak decade
3,508 babies have been named Karena since 1946, making it today's #7190 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Karena has been recorded 3,508 times among girls since 1946, currently ranked #7190 nationally and more common than 58% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1946 to 2025.
- #3,250 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #7,190 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 3,508 born since 1946
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Karena ranks #3,250 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,190 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 3,508 born since 1946, peaking in the 1970s.
- #3,250 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,190 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,508
- born since 1946
- 1970s
- peak decade
Karena's 3,508 recorded births place it above 95.5% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
17 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Karena compares
3,508 Top 17% higher than 83% of 17,297 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
Karena's all-time total is 9x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Karena | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,508 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 114 | 21 | 19,840 |
Karena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Karena splits its recorded history at 1989: 47% of all births land in the more recent half, 53% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1950 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1974 peak of 114 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Karena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1946–2025
- Peak year (1974)
- 114
- Annual births at peak, across 80 years of records
Karena by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (962 births, 27% of the file).
1970s was Karena's strongest decade.
962 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Karena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 14
1940s
14 births
- 1950s 48
1950s
48 births
- 1960s 261
1960s
261 births
- 1970s
1970s
962 births
- 1980s
1980s
651 births
- 1990s
1990s
768 births
- 2000s
2000s
508 births
- 2010s 228
2010s
228 births
- 2020s 68
2020s
68 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 962 births (27% of all-time use).
How Karena 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 Karena's total volume
Karena by state
Where Karena concentrates geographically, total births since 1946
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 486 | 13.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 190 | 5.4% |
| #3 | Texas | | 114 | 3.2% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 64 | 1.8% |
| #5 | Florida | | 53 | 1.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 48 | 1.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 44 | 1.3% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 40 | 1.1% |
486 of 3,508 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 17 reporting states.
Karena appears in 17 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karena? ▼
Where does Karena sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Karena most popular? ▼
Where is Karena most popular? ▼
How long has the name Karena been used? ▼
What names are similar to Karena? ▼
What to do with Karena's data
- Karena's decade-level peak was the 1970s (962 total births); usage has since declined to 68 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karenas (486 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Karena
Nearby Names Like Karena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karena
Compare Karena side by side: Karena vs Karen Karena vs Kara Karena vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Karena
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Karena: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1974)
Similar record span (~79 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1946–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Karena 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 August 2026.