Karen Name Meaning, Origin & Gender

Karen Name at a Glance

Name	Karen
Meaning	Variant of Catherine: Pure, clear. Form of the Latin 'Katharina', from the Greek Aikaterina'. It was borne by a number of saints, including St Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th century martyr who suffered torture on a spiked wheel.
Origin	Latin
Gender	Girl

What Does the Name Karen Mean?

According to the information recorded in our baby name database, Karen means “Variant of Catherine: Pure, clear. Form of the Latin 'Katharina', from the Greek Aikaterina'. It was borne by a number of saints, including St Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th century martyr who suffered torture on a spiked wheel”. Name meanings can vary between languages, regions and naming traditions, so families may also wish to confirm a meaning within the cultural or linguistic context that matters to them.

Karen Name Origin

Our database records Karen under Latin origin. Browse more Latin baby names to compare other names in the same origin collection.

Is Karen a Boy or Girl Name?

In our database, Karen is listed as a girl name. Usage can differ across countries, languages and families.

Choosing the Name Karen

When considering Karen for a baby, you may want to compare its recorded meaning and origin with family traditions, pronunciation, spelling, initials, middle names and how the full name sounds with the family name.