Karen (name)
| Karen | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkærən/ KARR-ən |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Language(s) | Germanic |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Katherine, Karina, Karin |
Karen is a given name. In English, it is a feminine name related to Katherine and other similar Germanic language names. In Iran and Armenia however, it is a masculine name deriving from other non-Germanic languages. The name is also found in modern Africa, as well as in Asia.
In English, Europe, and Scandinavia
In English, Karen is usually a feminine given name.
The name Karen was one of the top 10 names for girls born in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, peaking as the 3rd most popular girl's name in 1965.[1]
Karen is a Danish short form of "Katherine". It has been common in the English-speaking world since the 1940s. Variants include Caja, Kaja (Danish), Caren, Caryn, Karena, Kaat, Karin, Karyn, Kerena, Karen (English). The name is used in the Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, German and English languages.[2]
In Armenia and Iran
| Karen | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | [kɒː'ræn] |
| Gender | masculine |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | pure |
| Region of origin | Iran, Armenia |
In Armenia and Iran, Karen is a common masculine given name.
The masculine given name Karen derived from the Persian name of House of Karen (or Caren), one of the seven aristocratic families of the Parthian Empire. Several Persian princes named Karen are known before and after the Islamic period. The Karen house ruled the Tabaristan region of Iran, which approximately corresponds to the current provinces of Gilan state and Mazandaran. Moreover, Karen means a brave (or a valorous) man in Persian.
In Armenian, Karen is also derived from the ancient Armenian masculine given name Kar. Kar Haykazuni, for example, was a king of ancient Armenia who reigned from 1287 to 1283 B.C. during the Hayk Nahapet dynasty.[3]
The masculine given name Garen is a Western Armenian form of the Eastern Armenian Karen.
The masculine given name Karen was mentioned by the prominent Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; Armenian: Մովսես Խորենացի) in his book History of Armenia.[4]
Karen can also be a surname.
In Africa
In Africa, Karen is a feminine given name. It can be found in the southern two-thirds of the continent. Some countries include Guyana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
In Asia
In Asia, Karen is a feminine given name. The name can be found in Japan, and less commonly in such places as China and Malaysia.
Notable people named Karen
First name
- Karen Ackerman (born 1951), American children's author
- Karen Allen (born 1951), American actress
- Karen Alexander (disambiguation), several people
- Karen Anderson (writer) (born 1932), American fantasy writer
- Karen Anderson (squash player) (born 1971), Jamaican squash player
- Karen Armstrong (born 1944), British author on comparative religion
- Karen Arthur (born 1941), American film director, producer, and actress
- Karen Dianne Baldwin (born 1963), Miss Universe 1982
- Karen Black (1939-2013), American actress
- Karen Blixen (1885–1962), Danish author under the pen name Isak Dinesen
- Karen Carlson (born 1944), American actress
- Karen Carpenter (1950–1983), American singer and drummer in the duo The Carpenters
- Karen Cashman, an American short track speed skater
- Karen Cellini (born 1958), American actress
- Karen Chin, American paleontologist, coprolitologist, and taphonomist
- Karen Clark-Sheard (born 1960), American gospel singer and songwriter, member of the Clark Sisters
- Karen Cockburn (born 1980), Canadian Olympic trampolinist
- Karen Connelly (born 1969), Canadian travel writer and novelist
- Karen Morrison-Comstock (born 1955), Miss USA 1974
- Karen Daley, president of the American Nurses Association
- Karen Dunne (born 1967), American track and road cyclist
- Karen Elson (born 1979), British model and singer
- Karen Friedman, wife of mobster Henry Hill, depicted in Goodfellas
- Karen Gillan (born 1987), Scottish actress
- Karen Hassan (born 1981), Northern Irish actress
- Karen Haude, German field hockey player
- Karen Horning (born 1966), Peruvian breaststroke swimmer
- Karen Kain (born 1951), Canadian ballerina, currently artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada
- Karen Killilea (born 1940), subject of two books by her mother, Marie Killilea
- Karen Kingsbury (born 1963), Christian fiction author
- Karen Kohanowich, former United States Navy diver
- Karen Kotte (dead 1509), Danish merchant
- Karen Kurreck (born 1962), American road cyclist
- Karen LaFace (born 1966), American diver
- Karen Lancaume (1973–2005), French pornographic actress
- Karen McDougal (born 1971), American model, actress and Playboy Playmate
- Karen Mok (born 1970), Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter
- Karen Mulder (born 1968), Dutch model and singer
- Karen L. Nyberg (born 1969), American astronaut
- Karen Pickering (born 1971), British swimmer
- Karen Ann Quinlan (1954–1985), central figure in an American right-to-die controversy
- Karen Rosenberg (born 1975), Danish singer
- Karen Smith (Australian field hockey) (born 1979), Australian field hockey player
- Karen Smith (New Zealand field hockey) (born 1970), New Zealand field hockey player
- Karen Smyers (born 1961), American triathlete
- Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer, wife of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
- Karen Strassman (born 1975), American voice actress
- Karen Taylor (comedian) (born 1976), British comedian
- Karen Elizabeth Tilley, Miss Canada 1985
- Karen Valentine (born 1947), American actress.
Surname
- Anna Karen (born 1936), British actress
- James Karen (born 1923), American actor
Armenian and Iranian men named Karen
- Karen Asrian (1980–2008), Armenian chess grandmaster
- Karen Demirchyan (1932–1999), Armenian politician
- Karen Drambjan (1954–2011), Armenian-born Estonian lawyer, politician and activist
- Karen Khachaturian (1920-2011), Armenian/Russian composer
- Karen Sargsyan, Armenian choirmaster
- Karen Shakhnazarov (born 1952), Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter of Armenian origins
- Zarmihr Karen (died 558), Iranian nobleman and Sasanian governor of Zabulistan
African people named Karen
- Karen King-Aribisala, Nigerian writer
- Karen Muir (1952-2013), South African swimmer
- Karen Press (born 1956), South African poet
- Karen Zoid (born 1987), South African rock singer
Asian people named Karen
- Karen Iwata (born 1998), Japanese singer
- Karen Kong (born 1984), Malaysian-Chinese singer
- Karen Makishima (born 1976), Japanese politician
- Karen Miyama (born 1996), Japanese actress
- Karen Nun-Ira (born 1991), Japanese judoka
- Karen Tanaka (born 1961), Japanese composer
- Karen Yu (born 1980), Taiwanese politician
Fictional people named Karen
Live action
- Karen Barclay, on the hit 1988 horror film Child's Play
- Karen Hayes, on the television series 24
- Karen Filippelli, on the U.S. version of the television series The Office
- Karen Sisco, an American television series, eponymous character played by Carla Gugino
- Karen Walker, in the television series Will & Grace
- Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie, on the television series Knots Landing
- Karen Smith, in the motion picture Mean Girls
- Karen Collins, wife of protagonist in Irving Wallace's novel The R Document
- Karen Darling, on the television series Dirty Sexy Money
- Karen Page, long-time love interest of the superhero Daredevil in the Marvel Universe
- Karen Pelly, from the Canadian series Corner Gas
- Chief Karen Vicks, a character from the American television dramedy Psych
- Karen Mizuki, in J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai
- Karen Spencer on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful
- Karen (The Walking Dead), a female character in the TV series The Walking Dead
- Karen Fisher, headteacher in Waterloo Road
Animation
- Karen, a character in Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch media
- Karen Araragi, in Bakemonogatari
- Karen Onodera from Please Twins!
- Karen, in Sister Princess
- Karen (Pokémon), a character in the Pokémon media
- Karen Low, a character from the anime Jormungand
- Karen, Plankton's computer wife in the Nickelodeon series SpongeBob SquarePants and in the movie
- Karen Minazuki, in Yes! Pretty Cure 5
- Karen Kasumi, a firemaster in anime and manga X/1999
- Karen, companion of Frosty the Snowman
- Karen Kujo from Kin-iro Mosaic
- Karen Kouzuki (Kallen Stadtfeld) Code Geass
See also
References
- ↑ Davidson, Andrew (2007), Population Statistics for Karen, Raleigh, NC: nameplayground.com
- ↑ Вehind the Name
- ↑ king of ancient Armenia
- ↑ History of the Armenia by Movses Khorenatsi: Book_2_#28 and Book_2_#68