Every name given to a US baby since 1880, ranked year by year — straight from Social Security Administration birth records. 105,966 names · 375,362,447 births · public domain.

Karen

#15 most common girls' name of all time · #44 across all names · <1% male / >99% female · used 1881–2025

Rank among girls
#15
Rank overall
#44 of 105,966
First appeared
1881
Years on the list
140 of 146
All-time
990,774
Since 2016
3,452
Peak year
1957 #5
Best rank
#3 1965
Girls Boys peak 40,668/yr
1900192019401960198020002020

Karen first appears in 1881. That's the first year it was given to at least 5 US babies, which is the threshold below which the SSA withholds a name.

Year by year

YearGirlsBoysTotalRank
2025 175 175 #1,281
2024 186 186 #1,251
2023 226 5 231 #1,089
2022 199 199 #1,216
2021 229 229 #1,088
2020 332 6 338 #821
2019 440 6 446 #662
2018 470 470 #637
2017 554 7 561 #556
2016 617 617 #508
2015 627 5 632 #505
2014 633 633 #494
2013 730 730 #416
2012 897 5 902 #354
2011 1,104 7 1,111 #287
2010 1,288 8 1,296 #248
2009 1,433 1,433 #231
2008 1,816 5 1,821 #187
2007 2,172 12 2,184 #165
2006 2,031 11 2,042 #173
2005 2,065 9 2,074 #164
2004 2,168 12 2,180 #155
2003 2,331 10 2,341 #141
2002 2,225 6 2,231 #150
2001 2,194 18 2,212 #148
2000 2,174 20 2,194 #153
1999 2,172 14 2,186 #149
1998 2,073 6 2,079 #152
1997 2,226 9 2,235 #142
1996 2,401 16 2,417 #133
1995 2,269 19 2,288 #142
1994 2,487 17 2,504 #128
1993 2,806 33 2,839 #116
1992 2,765 25 2,790 #121
1991 2,601 21 2,622 #122
1990 2,716 18 2,734 #120
1989 2,758 37 2,795 #110
1988 2,567 20 2,587 #111
1987 2,580 35 2,615 #107
1986 2,801 23 2,824 #100
1985 3,138 26 3,164 #87
1984 3,536 28 3,564 #82
1983 3,787 22 3,809 #77
1982 4,153 31 4,184 #68
1981 4,539 23 4,562 #64
1980 5,055 27 5,082 #54
1979 5,599 32 5,631 #46
1978 6,371 22 6,393 #39
1977 7,441 27 7,468 #32
1976 7,505 36 7,541 #31
1975 8,168 29 8,197 #27
1974 8,643 36 8,679 #26
1973 9,352 40 9,392 #23
1972 11,181 49 11,230 #21
1971 14,214 57 14,271 #15
1970 16,699 48 16,747 #12
1969 17,633 74 17,707 #13
1968 19,560 49 19,609 #9
1967 21,537 54 21,591 #6
1966 25,450 64 25,514 #5
1965 32,869 81 32,950 #3
1964 30,243 91 30,334 #4
1963 32,492 83 32,575 #4
1962 35,184 75 35,259 #4
1961 34,707 79 34,786 #5
1960 36,378 72 36,450 #4
1959 36,784 80 36,864 #4
1958 38,487 66 38,553 #4
1957 40,591 77 40,668 #5
1956 40,052 72 40,124 #7
1955 33,217 50 33,267 #8
1954 32,456 54 32,510 #8
1953 29,858 58 29,916 #9
1952 28,956 36 28,992 #8
1951 27,998 34 28,032 #8
1950 24,132 36 24,168 #12
1949 22,468 41 22,509 #11
1948 21,996 36 22,032 #12
1947 21,648 37 21,685 #13
1946 19,647 39 19,686 #15
1945 15,680 52 15,732 #16
1944 15,944 49 15,993 #16
1943 16,816 54 16,870 #15
1942 15,387 65 15,452 #16
1941 10,831 44 10,875 #19
1940 7,283 37 7,320 #34
1939 5,541 17 5,558 #39
1938 4,508 21 4,529 #50
1937 2,232 9 2,241 #113
1936 1,718 13 1,731 #132
1935 1,097 8 1,105 #172
1934 588 588 #258
1933 453 453 #283
1932 303 303 #368
1931 152 152 #536
1930 100 100 #689
1929 78 78 #800
1928 78 78 #817
1927 57 57 #1,015
1926 62 62 #953
1925 49 49 #1,093
1924 58 58 #1,002
1923 48 48 #1,103
1922 50 50 #1,083
1921 42 42 #1,189
1920 42 42 #1,176
1919 27 27 #1,532
1918 56 56 #965
1917 47 47 #1,034
1916 42 42 #1,093
1915 36 36 #1,142
1914 34 34 #1,028
1913 12 12 #1,790
1912 28 28 #969
1911 11 11 #1,478
1910 11 11 #1,447
1909 12 12 #1,237
1908 13 13 #1,163
1907 14 14 #1,056
1906 16 16 #939
1905 11 11 #1,187
1904 11 11 #1,119
1903 8 8 #1,355
1901 5 5 #1,717
1900 8 8 #1,460
1899 9 9 #1,132
1898 8 8 #1,293
1897 5 5 #1,592
1896 9 9 #1,149
1894 11 11 #976
1893 7 7 #1,204
1892 10 10 #989
1891 6 6 #1,248
1890 14 14 #748
1889 10 10 #876
1888 5 5 #1,310
1887 9 9 #827
1886 9 9 #807
1885 10 10 #735
1881 6 6 #814