Kari (name)

Kari is either a male or female given name, or a surname.

Given name

In Finland, Kari is a male name, which was particularly popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The name is derived from the Greek Makarios (or Macarius).

In Norway, Kari is a female name. The name is diminutive of Katherine, meaning "pure". The corresponding Swedish and German name is Karin.

In Iceland and Faroe Islands, Kári is a male name, based on a Scandinavian god of wind of the same name. The corresponding Norwegian male name is Kåre.

Surname

Kari is a popular surname in South India. In Andhra Pradesh the village of Karivari Palem is named after the surname; in the village Inkollu, Gangavaram almost 60% families have this surname and belongs to Kamma/Chowdary caste. Kari can also be spelt Kahri.

Kari is also a Finnish surname, meaning a small island, islet, or an underwater rock. There are currently 2242 holders of the name (2015).

Notable people named Kari

Females with the given name

• Kari Aas (1886–1978), Norwegian teacher and Scout leader
• Kari Anderson (born 1982), Scottish cricketer
• Kari Bøge (born 1950), Norwegian author
• Kari Bremnes (born 1956), Norwegian singer
• Kari Byron (born 1974), American television host and artist
• Kari Corbett (born 1984), Scottish actress
• Kari Diesen (1914–1987), Norwegian singer and actress
• Kari Faux (born 1992), American rapper and singer, born Kari Rose Johnson
• Kari Aalvik Grimsbø (born 1985), Norwegian handball player
• Kari Jobe (born 1981), American singer
• Kari Kjønaas Kjos (born 1962), Norwegian politician
• Kari Mette Johansen (born 1979), Norwegian handball player
• Kari Ann Lake (born 1969), American politician and former television news anchor
• Kari Matchett (born 1970), Canadian actress
• Kari Nissena, American actress
• Kari Ann Peniche (born 1984), American model
• Kari Rueslåtten (born 1973), Norwegian singer
• Kari Storækre (born 1950), Norwegian television personality
• Kari Swenson (born 1962), American biathlete
• Kari Sylwan (born 1940), Swedish actress, ballerina and choreographer
• Kari Tauring (born 1966), American folk singer, author, and teacher
• Kari Traa (born 1974), Norwegian skier
• Kari Wahlgren (born 1977), American voice actress
• Kari Wuhrer (born 1967), American actress

Males with the given name

• Kari Arkivuo, Finnish footballer
• Kari Aronpuro, Finnish poet
• Kari Eloranta, Finnish footballer and ice hockey player
• Kari Enqvist, Finnish physicist and writer
• Kari Hotakainen, Finnish writer
• Kári P. Højgaard, Faroese politician
• Kari Häkämies, Finnish politician
• Kari Härkönen, Finnish skier
• Kari Jalonen, Finnish ice hockey coach
• Kari Kairamo, former CEO of Nokia
• Kari Ketonen, Finnish actor
• Kari Korhonen, Finnish cartoonist
• Kari Korhonen, Finnish mycologist
• Kari Kriikku, Finnish clarinet player
• Kari Kuivalainen, Finnish musician
• Kari Lehtola, Finnish major accident investigator
• Kari Lehtonen, Finnish NHL Goaltender for the Dallas Stars
• Kari Makkonen, Finnish ice hockey player
• Kari Mannerla, Finnish game designer
• Kari Mäkinen, Archbishop of Turku
• Kari Peitsamo, Finnish musician
• Kari Rajamäki, Finnish politician
• Kari Ristanen, Finnish skier
• Kári Stefánsson, Icelandic founder of deCODE genetics
• Kari Suomalainen, Finnish cartoonist
• Kari Takko, Finnish ice hockey goalkeeper
• Kari Tapio, Finnish singer
• Kari Tiainen, Finnish motorcycle rider
• Kari S. Tikka, Finnish legal scholar
• Kari Turunen, Finnish musician
• Kari Ukkonen, Finnish footballer
• Kari Uotila, Finnish politician
• Kari Väänänen, Finnish actor and director
• Kari Ylianttila, Finnish ski-jumper

People with the surname

• Dagur Kári, Icelandic filmmaker
• Jarkko Kari, Finnish mathematician
• Martti J. Kari (1960–2023), Finnish military officer and academic
• Mika Kari (born 1967), Finnish politician
• Sax Kari, born Isaac Toombs, American R&B musician and promoter
• Tamla Kari, British actress
• Tommi Kari, Finnish footballer

People with the nickname

• Sundaram Karivardhan, Indian motor sports promoter

Fictional and mythological characters

• Kári, son of Fornjót, the personification of wind in Norse mythology
• Kari Grandi, Finnish advertising character
• Hikari "Kari" Kamiya, a character in Digimon media
• Kari Nordmann, Norwegian placeholder name
• Kari Sorjonen, main character in Bordertown, a Finnish crime drama TV series

See also

• All pages with titles beginning with Kari
• All pages with titles containing Kari
• Kari (disambiguation)
• Cari (name)
• Kali (name)
• Karie (name)
• Karli (name)
• Karri (name)