Karren
A feminine name of English origin meaning "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 1,479 living Americans carry the first name Karren. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Karren today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karren births was 1943 (100 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karren. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 231,747 Americans
Peak year
1943
100 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2010 SSA rank
#14,218
Tracked since 1920
Census
Karren in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,168 people with the first name Karren, which placed it at #7,118 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,118
National first-name rank
People counted
2.2K
2,168 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karren
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karren is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Karren described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Karren at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 1,565
- Black or African American13.8% · 300
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.0% · 151
- Two or more races3.4% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
Popularity
Karren: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karren from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 698 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karren by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Karren during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karrens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Texas, Utah recorded the most babies named Karren, while Pennsylvania, Colorado, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Karren
The name Karren is believed to have originated from the German language, likely derived from the word "Karre," which means "cart" or "wagon." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in transportation or trade.
In the early medieval period, the name Karren was primarily used in Germanic regions of Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was a relatively common name among the working class and peasantry, possibly reflecting its connection to manual labor and transportation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karren can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 12th century. In this text, a man named Karren von Weissenfels is mentioned as a landowner and farmer.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the name Karren remained prevalent in German-speaking regions, though its popularity waxed and waned over time. Notable individuals bearing this name include Karren von Richthofen (1492-1548), a German knight and military commander who fought in the Peasants' War of 1524-1525.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Karren gained some traction in other parts of Europe, likely due to the migration of German-speaking populations. One notable figure from this era was Karren Scharfenberg (1570-1638), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his detailed landscapes and city views.
In the 18th century, the name Karren was still predominantly found in German-speaking areas, but it also started appearing in historical records from other European countries, such as France and England. One example is Karren Boucher (1701-1771), a French painter and engraver who was particularly renowned for her still-life works.
As the 19th century dawned, the name Karren continued to be used across various regions of Europe, though its popularity may have declined somewhat in comparison to previous centuries. One notable individual from this period was Karren Benz (1844-1929), the wife of German automotive pioneer Karl Benz and a significant figure in the early days of the automobile industry.
Throughout its history, the name Karren has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, ranging from artists and artisans to military figures and entrepreneurs. While it may have waned in popularity in recent times, the name Karren remains a part of the rich tapestry of European naming traditions.
People
Karren + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karren as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karren: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karren?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,479 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karren going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 231,747 US residents.
Is Karren a common name?
We classify Karren as "Rare". It ranks above 92.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,177 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karren most popular?
The single biggest year for Karren was 1943, when 100 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karren is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Karren in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,168 people with the name Karren, or 0.72 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,118 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Karren in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Karren?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Karren leans strongly female. 2,137 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 32 male bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Karren?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karren is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Karren most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Karren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (1,565 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Karren in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Karren a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karren in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Karren still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Karren in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Karren can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Karren?
Find out how many Americans are named Karren on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.