Karen (name)
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For other uses, see Karen.
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The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (December 2010) |
| Karen | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkærən/ KARR-ən |
| Gender | female or male |
| Language(s) | Danish, Armenian |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | pure |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Katherine, Karina, Karin |
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Look up Karen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
In English, Karen is usually a feminine given name, derived from the Danish short form of Katherine.
The name Karen was one of the top ten 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]
However, in Armenian, Karen is a masculine given name derived from the name a prince of Caren of Persian origin, having his origins probably from the name of House of Karen, aristocratic family, one of so-called Parthian clans.
Karen can also be a surname.
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[edit] Famous people named Karen
[edit] First name
- Karen Allen (born 1951), American actress
- Karen Anderson (born 1971), Jamaican squash player
- Karen Armstrong (born 1944), British author on comparative religion
- 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 Christian fiction author
- 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 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 Taylor (comedian) (born 1976), British comedienne
- Karen Hill, wife of mobster Henry Hill, depicted in Goodfellas
[edit] Surname
- Anna Karen (born 1936), British actress
[edit] Armenian men named Karen
- Karen Asrian (1980–2008), Armenian chess grandmaster
- Karen Demirchyan (1932–1999), Armenian politician
- Karen Khachaturian (born 1920), Armenian/Russian composer
- Karen Shakhnazarov (born 1952), Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter of Armenian origins
[edit] Fictional people named Karen
[edit] 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
[edit] Cartoon
- Karen Araragi, in Bakemonogatari
- Karen Onodera from Please Twins!
- Karen, in Sister Princess
- Karen (Pokémon), a character in Pokémon media
- Karen, Plankton's computer wife in the Nickelodeon series SpongeBob SquarePants and in the movie
- Karen, cartoon character assisting Frosty to the North Pole in Frosty the Snowman
- Karen Minazuki, in Yes! Pretty Cure 5
- Karen Kasumi, a firemaster in anime and manga X/1999
- Karen, companion of Frosty the Snowman
[edit] Other
[edit] References
- ^ Davidson, Andrew (2007), Population Statistics for Karen, Raleigh, NC: nameplayground.com, http://www.nameplayground.com/Karen
