Karen (name)

Infobox Given Name Revised
name = Karen


imagesize=
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pronunciation=
gender = Both
meaning = pure
region =
language = Danish
related names =
footnotes =

Karen is a given name.

As a female name, Danish form of the name Katherine and means "pure". [citation|author=Birthcare, LLC|title=Meaning and origin of Karen|url=http://www.mybirthcare.com/favorites/F/Danish/meaning.asp?name=Karen|year=2007|location=Katy, TX|publisher=mybirthcare.com] It 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. [citation|last=Davidson|first=Andrew|url=http://www.nameplayground.com/Karen|title=Population Statistics for Karen|year=2007|publisher=nameplayground.com|location=Raleigh, NC]

In Armenian, the name Karen is masculine and its origins lie in an exiled Armenian prince in Persia.

Women named Karen

*Karen Allen, American actress
*Karen Armstrong, historian of religion, bestselling author
*Karen Blixen, Danish author
*Karen Carpenter, singer/drummer in the music act The Carpenters
*Karen Clark-Sheard, famous Gospel singer and also a member of a female Gospel group, The Clark Sisters
*Karen Horning (born 1966), Peruvian breaststroke swimmer
*Karen Kain, former prima ballerina, current artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada
*Karen LaFace, American diver
*Karen McDougal, American model and "Playboy" Playmate
*Karen Ann Quinlan, important American historical figure in the right-to-die debate
*"Karen Sisco", an American television series, title character played by Carla Gugino
*Karen Smyers, American triathlete
*Karen Taylor (comedian), British comedienne
*Karen Killilea, bestselling author

Men named Karen

*Karen Asrian, Armenian chess player
*Karen Demirchyan, Armenian politician
*Karen Khachaturian, Armenian composer
*Karen Shakhnazarov, Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter of Armenian origins
*Karen Wylie, Slovakian gymnast

Characters named Karen

*Karen Hayes, on the television show "24 (TV series)"
*Karen Filippelli, on the television show "The Office"
*Karen Mizuki, in "J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai"
*Karen, in "Sister Princess"
*Karen Hill, in "Goodfellas"
*Karen Walker, in the television show "Will & Grace"
*Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie, on the television show "Knots Landing"
*Karen Smith, in the motion picture "Mean Girls"

References