Total births
501
Girls' name · since 1916
Karene
Karene has 501 recorded births since 1916 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1963 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 501
- total births
- 1916–1997
- years on record
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 23%
- born in that decade
Karene is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 501 have been recorded since 1916.
Karene has 501 recorded births among girls since 1916, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1916 to 1997.
- 501 total births
- 1916–1997 years on record
- 1960s peak decade
- 23% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
501 girls have been named Karene since 1916, peaking in the 1960s, last recorded in 1997.
- 501
- total births
- 1916–1997
- years on record
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 23%
- born in that decade
1960s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Karene was born in this single decade.
1963
Single peak year
17 babies were named Karene in 1963 - its busiest year on record.
Karene's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Karene splits its recorded history at 1961: 49% of all births land in the more recent half, 51% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1916 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1963 peak of 17 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Karene at a glance
Last recorded 1997Peak year
1963
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1916
Karene popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1916–1997
- Peak year (1963)
- 17
- Annual births at peak, across 82 years of records
Karene by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Karene's strongest decade.
113 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Karene births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 11
1910s
11 births
- 1930s
1930s
47 births
- 1940s
1940s
99 births
- 1950s
1950s
87 births
- 1960s
1960s
113 births
- 1970s
1970s
77 births
- 1980s
1980s
48 births
- 1990s 19
1990s
19 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 113 births (23% of all-time use).
How Karene 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 Karene's total volume
Karene vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Karene by state
Where Karene concentrates geographically, total births since 1916
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5 | 1.0% |
California share of Karene's total US births 1.0%
5 of 501 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karene? ▼
501 babies have been named Karene since 1916. It was last recorded in 1997. The peak year was 1963 with 17 births.
When was Karene most popular? ▼
Karene was most popular in the 1960s decade with 113 total births. The single peak year was 1963.
Where is Karene most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Karene are California (5 births).
How long has the name Karene been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Karene since 1916 -- 82 years through the most recent 1997 data.
What names are similar to Karene? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Karen, Kara, Karla, Karina, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Karene's data
- Karene's decade-level peak was the 1960s (113 total births); usage has since declined to 19 in the 1990s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karenes (5 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 Karene
Nearby Names Like Karene
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karene
Karen Girl
#1251 987,989 births
Kara Girl
#990 101,743 births
Karla Girl
#733 91,586 births
Karina Girl
#772 61,464 births
Kari Girl
#1843 59,696 births
Compare Karene side by side: Karene vs Karen Karene vs Kara Karene vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1916–1997 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Karene: Baby Name Since 1916 - 501 Births, Peak 1963." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/karene. 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 Karene 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 July 2026.