National Karen Day is annually observed on June 8. Karen has been used in the United States for more than a century. Beginning the 20th century, Karen’s popularity in the United States was minimal. The name would rise and fall on the charts every few years, as if it could not determine whether to stay or go. And it elected to remain. From 1928 to 1937, Karen rose from obscurity to high fashion on the rankings.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL KAREN DAY
Karen is the Danish equivalent of Katherine, an English name derived from the French Catherine. Due to the fame of a fourth-century Christian martyred in Alexandria, Egypt, the French were among the most prominent mediaeval bearers of the feminine name Catherine. As a form of protection, the French would give their offspring saintly names; many of these names were transferred to England during the Norman Invasion. The origin of Catherine is uncertain. She may be related to Hecate, the Greek deity of the wild, childbirth, and crossroads.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, nicknamed “the pure one,” was a Christian martyr tormented on the wheel in the fourth century for her religious convictions. Catherine is often associated with the Greek word katharos, which means “pure.” Our current usage of the Greek-derived word ‘catharsis’ to purge or purify contributes to Katherine’s innocence and purity. In Danish (a Germanic language), Katherine was renamed Karen, and Scandinavian settlers carried the name to America. Karen topped the list of the top 100 female names in 1938 at position #50.
Karen’s most prosperous decades were the 1950s and 1960s, when it ranked among the top ten most popular girl’s names. In 1965, the name even topped the rankings, only to be surpassed by Lisa and Mary. Following her zenith in the 1970s, Karen began a steady decline in the charts, eventually leaving the Top 100 in 1987 after a 50-year run.
Karen, like Annika and Ingrid, possesses a strong, no-nonsense Scandinavian personality. Karen is a great option for those who value unadorned, self-assured-sounding modern classics.
Five Interesting Facts About the Name Karen
The masculine counterpart to Karen
Ken and Kevin are two of the most prominent male alternatives to Karen.
Placed 831st
Karen is the 831st most common birth name in the United States.
325 Karen infants in 2020
In 2020, the Social Security Administration projects that only 325 infants will be named Karen in the United States.
The last Canadian Karen
Karen, labelled “The Last Karen,” was born at the Western Hospital in Toronto in 2019.
The colloquial definition of the term ‘Karen’
Karen is a slang term for an unpleasant, enraged, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her advantages to get her way or monitor the behaviour of others.
NATIONAL KAREN DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | June 8 | Thursday |
| 2024 | June 8 | Saturday |
| 2025 | June 8 | Sunday |
| 2026 | June 8 | Monday |
| 2027 | June 8 | Tuesday |
