Karen (name)
| Karen | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkærən/ KARR-ən |
| Gender | feminine |
| Language(s) | Germanic |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Katherine, Karina, Karin |
 |
Look up Karen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
| Karen | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | [kɒː'ræn] |
| Gender | masculine |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | pure |
| Region of origin | Iran, Armenia |
|
Look up Karen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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.
In English
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]
Meaning & History: Karen - Danish short form of “Katherine”. It has been common in the English-speaking world since the 1940s. Variants: Caja, Kaja (Danish), Caren, Caryn, Karena, Karyn, Kerena, Karen (English). Usage: Danish, Norwegian, German, English.[2]
In Iran and Armenia
In Iran and Armenia, Karen is a common masculine given name.
The masculine given name Karen derived from the Persian name of House of Karen (Caren) (one of the seven aristocratic families of the Parthian Empire). Several Persian princes named Karen (Caren) are known before and after the Islamic period. The Karen (Caren) house ruled the Tabaristan region of Iran, which approximately corresponds to the current provinces of Gilan state and Mazandaran.
In Armenian, Karen (a masculine given name) refers also to the ancient Armenian masculine given name Kar (Kar Haykazuni – king of ancient Armenia, 1287—1283 B.C., Hayk Nahapet dynasty).
Masculine given name Garen - is Western Armenian transliteration of Eastern Armenian Karen.
Masculine given name Karen was mentioned by (prominent Armenian historian from the period of late antiquity) Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; Armenian: Մովսես Խորենացի) in his book the History of the Armenia (History of the Armenia by Movses Khorenatsi: Book_2_#28 and Book_2_#68).
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Karen can also be a surname.
Famous people named Karen
First name
- Karen Allen (born 1951), American actress
- 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 Black (1939-2013), American actress
- Karen Blixen (1885–1962), Danish author under the pen name Isak Dinesen
- Karen Carpenter (1950–1983), American singer and drummer in the duo The Carpenters
- Karen Clark-Sheard (born 1960), American gospel singer and songwriter, member of the Clark Sisters
- Karen Dunne (born 1967), American track and road cyclist
- Karen Elson (born 1979), British model and singer
- Karen Gillan (born 1987), Scottish actress
- Karen Hassan (born 1981), Northern Irish actress
- Karen Horning (born 1966), Peruvian breaststroke swimmer
- Karen Kain (born 1951), Canadian ballerina, currently artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada
- Karen Kotte (dead 1509), Danish merchant
- 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 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 Smith (Australian) (born 1979), Australian field hockey player
- Karen Smith (New Zealand) (born 1970), New Zealand field hockey player
- Karen Smyers (born 1961), American triathlete
- Karen Strassman (born 1975), American voice actress
- Karen Taylor (comedian) (born 1976), British comedienne
- Karen Friedman, wife of mobster Henry Hill, depicted in Goodfellas
- Karen Cashman, an American short track speed skater
- Karen Valentine (born 1947), American actress.
Mononym
- Karen (singer), (full name Karen Rosenberg), Danish R&B singer
Surname
- Anna Karen (born 1936), British actress
- James Karen (born 1923), American actor
Armenian 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 (born 1983 or 1984), Arrested in California for fraudulent use of a card scanning device[3]
- Karen Shakhnazarov (born 1952), Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter of Armenian origins
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 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 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
Cartoon
- 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
Other
- Karen languages
- Karen people
- Tropical Storm Karen (disambiguation)
See also
- Garen (disambiguation)
References
- ↑ Davidson, Andrew (2007), Population Statistics for Karen, Raleigh, NC: nameplayground.com
- ↑ Вehind the Name
- ↑ "Thousand Oaks Deputies Arrest Suspect for Using Unauthorized Scanning Device at Chase Bank ATM". Retrieved 12 September 2013.