Girls' name · since 1934
Kari
Kari has 59,696 recorded births since 1934 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1975 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #529 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,080 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 59,696
- born since 1934
- 1970s
- peak decade
Yes -- Kari is the #2080 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 59,696 recorded since 1934.
Kari has 59,696 recorded births among girls since 1934, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2080 as of the latest data, more common than 88% of girls, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1934 to 2025.
- #529 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,080 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 59,696 born since 1934
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kari ranks #529 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,080 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 59,696 born since 1934, peaking in the 1970s.
- #529 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,080 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 59,696
- born since 1934
- 1970s
- peak decade
Kari's 59,696 recorded births place it above 99.26% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kari compares
59,696 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Kari's all-time total is 159x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kari | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 59,696 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,221 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kari's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Kari's SSA record in two at 1981 and the more recent half accounts for 43% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 57%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1937, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1975 peak of 2,221, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Kari popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1934–2025
- Peak year (1975)
- 2,221
- Annual births at peak, across 92 years of records
Kari popularity over time - boys
931 total births recorded since 1956 (Kari as boys' name)
Kari by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (18,753 births, 31% of the file).
1970s was Kari's strongest decade.
18,753 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Kari births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 25
1930s
25 births
- 1940s 157
1940s
157 births
- 1950s 2,238
1950s
2,238 births
- 1960s
1960s
10,972 births
- 1970s
1970s
18,753 births
- 1980s
1980s
17,543 births
- 1990s 6,315
1990s
6,315 births
- 2000s 1,800
2000s
1,800 births
- 2010s 1,166
2010s
1,166 births
- 2020s 727
2020s
727 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 18,753 births (31% of all-time use).
How Kari 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 Kari's total volume
Kari by state
Where Kari concentrates geographically, total births since 1934
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5,864 | 9.8% |
| #2 | Minnesota | | 5,058 | 8.5% |
| #3 | Wisconsin | | 3,529 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 3,360 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 3,110 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Texas | | 2,927 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 2,747 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Washington | | 2,394 | 4.0% |
5,864 of 59,696 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Kari appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kari? ▼
Where does Kari sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kari most popular? ▼
Where is Kari most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kari been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kari? ▼
What to do with Kari's data
- Kari's decade-level peak was the 1970s (18,753 total births); usage has since declined to 727 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karis (5,864 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 Kari
Nearby Names Like Kari
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kari
Compare Kari side by side: Kari vs Karen Kari vs Kara Kari vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kari
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kari: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1975)
Similar record span (~91 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, 1934–2025 (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 Kari 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.