Karen Facts for Kids

The name Karen is a girl's name. It's a shorter version of the name Katherine and comes from Denmark. It was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, even reaching the top 3 most popular names in 1965! Other ways to spell Karen include Caren, Caryn, and Karin. Many famous people are named Karen. The name Karen is also used for tropical cyclones (big storms) that form in the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes, 'Karren' is also used as a family name.

Since about 2017, the name Karen has unfortunately become a slang term that some people use in a negative way. Because of this, the name has become much less popular in the United States. Many women who are named Karen have faced unfair teasing, bullying, and mean comments because of this slang term. To help stop this kind of unfair treatment, which is called Namism (being judged or treated badly because of your name), these women are working to raise awareness. They have started different support groups. One important group is Karens United for Respect (KU4R). This group is international and doesn't take sides in politics. They believe that everyone's name and background should be respected, just like any other part of who they are. KU4R helps girls and women who are being name-shamed, bullied, or harassed, and it is run by people who have experienced this themselves.

Famous People Named Karen

Karen Aardal (born 1961), a mathematician from Norway and the Netherlands.
Karen Ackerman (born 1951), an American author who writes books for children.
Karen Aline Peliçari (born 1989), a Brazilian football player.
Karen Allen (born 1951), an American actress.
Karen Alexander (disambiguation), several people with this name.
Karen Anderson (writer) (1932–2018), an American fantasy writer.
Karen Anderson (squash player) (born 1971), a squash player from Jamaica.
Karen Anette Anti (born 1972), a Sami politician from Norway.
Karen Armstrong (born 1944), a British author who writes about different religions.
Karen Arthur (born 1941), an American film director, producer, and actress.
Karen Dianne Baldwin (born 1963), who was crowned Miss Universe in 1982.
Karen Bass (born 1953), an American politician and social worker.
Karen Bernstein (born 1969), a Canadian voice actress.
Karen Bjornson (born 1952), an American model.
Karen Black (1939–2013), an American actress.
Karen Blixen (1885–1962), a Danish author who wrote under the name Isak Dinesen.
Karen Carlson (born 1944), an American actress.
Karen Carpenter (1950–1983), a famous American singer and drummer.
Karen Cashman, an American short track speed skater.
Karen Cellini (born 1958), an American actress.
Karen Chen, an American figure skater.
Karen Chin, an American paleontologist who studies ancient animal droppings.
Karen Clark-Sheard (born 1960), an American gospel singer and songwriter, part of the Clark Sisters.
Karen Cockburn (born 1980), a Canadian Olympic trampolinist.
Karen Connelly (born 1969), a Canadian travel writer and novelist.
Karen Crouse, an American journalist and author.
Karen Daley, a past president of the American Nurses Association.
Karen David (born 1979/1980), a Canadian actress born in India.
Karen Davila (born 1970), a Filipina newscaster and journalist.
Karen delos Reyes (born 1984), a Filipina actress.
Karen Devine, an American computer scientist.
Karen Dotrice (born 1955), a former English actress.
Karen Dunne (born 1967), an American track and road cyclist.
Karen Elson (born 1979), a British model and singer.
Karen Fogg, a British diplomat.
Karen Friedman (born 1946), known as the wife of Henry Hill, a person depicted in the movie Goodfellas.
Karen Gillan (born 1987), a Scottish actress.
Karen L. Gould (born 1948), an American expert in French-Canadian literature and former president of Brooklyn College.
Karen Handel (born 1962), an American politician.
Karen Harding (born 1991), an English singer.
Karen Hassan (born 1981), an actress from Northern Ireland.
Karen Haude, a German field hockey player.
Karen Horning (born 1966), a breaststroke swimmer from Peru.
Karen Kain (born 1951), a Canadian ballerina and artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada.
Karen Kilgariff (born 1970), an American comedian and podcast host.
Karen Killilea (born 1940), the subject of two books written by her mother.
Karen Kingsbury (born 1963), an author of Christian fiction.
Karen King-Aribisala, a writer from Nigeria.
Karen Kohanowich, a former diver for the United States Navy.
Karen Kong (born 1984), a singer from Malaysia.
Karen Kotte (died 1509), a Danish merchant.
Karen Kurreck (born 1962), an American road cyclist.
Karen LaFace (born 1966), an American diver.
Karen MacLeod (1958–2021), a British long-distance runner.
MØ (Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen), a Danish singer.
Karen Marrongelle, an American mathematics educator.
Karen Matheson, a Scottish folk singer.
Karen Mok (born 1970), an actress and singer-songwriter from Hong Kong.
Karen Morrison-Comstock (born 1955), who was Miss USA in 1974.
Karen Mulder (born 1970), a Dutch model and singer.
Karen Muir (1952–2013), a swimmer from South Africa.
Karen L. Nyberg (born 1969), an American astronaut.
Karen O (born 1978), an American singer and musician from the band The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Karen Palacios, a clarinet player from Venezuela.
Karen Pence (born 1957), the wife of the former Vice President of the United States.
Karen Pickering (born 1971), a British swimmer.
Karen Poutasi (born 1949), a government official from New Zealand.
Karen Prell (born 1959), an American puppeteer and animator.
Karen Press (born 1956), a poet from South Africa.
Karen Ann Quinlan (1954–1985), a key person in a famous American legal case about the right to die.
Karen Reyes (born 1996), a Filipina actress.
Karen Rosenberg (born 1975), a Danish singer.
Karen Sheffield (born 1961), a Canadian judo champion.
Karen Smith (Australian field hockey) (born 1979), an Australian field hockey player.
Karen Smith (New Zealand field hockey) (born 1970), a New Zealand field hockey player.
Karen Smyers (born 1961), an American triathlete.
Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer, the wife of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer.
Karen Strassman (born 1966), an American voice actress.
Karen Taylor (comedian) (born 1976), a British comedian.
Karen Elizabeth Tilley, Miss Canada 1985.
Karen Valentine (born 1947), an American actress.
Karen Villanueva (born 1998), a rhythmic gymnast from Mexico.
Karen Vogtmann (born 1949), an American mathematician.
Karen Winkfield (born 1970), an American radiation oncologist and doctor-scientist.
Karen Young (1951–1991), an American disco singer.
Karen Zoid (born 1987), a rock singer from South Africa.

Karen facts for kids

Famous People Named Karen

See also