Total births
14,135
Girls' name · since 1932
Karyn
14,135 babies named Karyn in U.S. Social Security records since 1932, with the highest year being 1964. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #12286
- among girls today
- 14,135
- born since 1932
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Karyn is the #12286 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 14,135 recorded since 1932.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Karyn has been recorded 14,135 times among girls since 1932, currently ranked #12286 nationally and more common than 31% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1932 to 2024.
- #12286 among girls today
- 14,135 born since 1932
- 1960s peak decade
- 31% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Karyn is currently the #12286 girls' name in America, more common than 31% of girls - 14,135 born since 1932, peaking in the 1960s.
- #12286
- among girls today
- 14,135
- born since 1932
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other girls
Karyn vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#12286
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 31% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
30% of everyone ever named Karyn was born in this single decade.
1964
Single peak year
607 babies were named Karyn in 1964 - its busiest year on record.
How Karyn compares
14,135 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Karyn's all-time total is 37x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Karyn | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 14,135 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 607 | 48 | 19,840 |
Karyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Karyn splits its recorded history at 1979: 25% of all births land in the more recent half, 75% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1932 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1964 peak of 607 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Karyn at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1964
Current rank
#12,286
Active since
1932
Karyn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1932–2024
- Peak year (1964)
- 607
- Annual births at peak, across 93 years of records
Karyn popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1989 (Karyn as boys' name)
Karyn by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Karyn's strongest decade.
4,311 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Karyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 55
1930s
55 births
- 1940s 967
1940s
967 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,856 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,311 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,671 births
- 1980s 1,710
1980s
1,710 births
- 1990s 939
1990s
939 births
- 2000s 424
2000s
424 births
- 2010s 185
2010s
185 births
- 2020s 17
2020s
17 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 4,311 births (30% of all-time use).
How Karyn 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 Karyn's total volume
Karyn vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Karyn by state
Where Karyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1932
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,687 | 11.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 1,424 | 10.1% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 1,349 | 9.5% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 712 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 676 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 663 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 589 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Texas | | 539 | 3.8% |
California share of Karyn's total US births 11.9%
Even split
1,687 of 14,135 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Karyn appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Karyn? ▼
14,135 babies have been named Karyn since 1932. It currently ranks #12286 among girls. The peak year was 1964 with 607 births.
When was Karyn most popular? ▼
Karyn was most popular in the 1960s decade with 4,311 total births. The single peak year was 1964.
Where is Karyn most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Karyn are California (1,687 births), New York (1,424 births), Illinois (1,349 births).
How long has the name Karyn been used? ▼
Records for Karyn go back to 1932, giving 93 years of history through 2024.
What names are similar to Karyn? ▼
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 Karyn's data
- Karyn's decade-level peak was the 1960s (4,311 total births); usage has since declined to 17 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Karyns (1,687 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 Karyn
Nearby Names Like Karyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Karyn
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 Karyn side by side: Karyn vs Karen Karyn vs Kara Karyn vs Karla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Karyn
Danita #12285
7,516 births · Peak 1961
Franklyn #12287
99 births · Peak 2019
Carolann #12284
5,652 births · Peak 1946
Sherilyn #12288
3,930 births · Peak 1946
Elias #12283
239 births · Peak 2022
Corazon #12289
314 births · Peak 1986
Warner #12282
79 births · Peak 1956
Janalee #12290
1,033 births · Peak 1962
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, 1932–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Karyn: #12286 Girls' Name - 14,135 Births, Peak 1964." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/karyn. 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 Karyn 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.