The name Karen is of Scandinavian origin and means Pure. The past few years however “Karen” has become synonymous with privileged and demanding middle-aged white women. If you're unaware of that development here's a story that breaks down how that came to be.
It’s no wonder the name is falling out of favor with moms across America. In fact, you may never meet a person with that name again!
According to Babynames.com, over the past decade there as been a 75% decrease in folks giving their kids the name Karen. Plus, they say in the past year, absolutely none of their users have put Karen on their favorite names list.
Of course, while they may not be naming their babies Karen, people are pretty interested in the name. The site says searches for the meaning behind the name has increased 10-fold, but not exactly for great reasons.
Thanks to the negative connotations associated with the name, folks are running away fast, but Karen was once pretty popular. In fact, between 1938 and 1968 it was one of the more popular names, but now it’s basically toxic.
CNN did a story a few weeks ago on the name and mentioned that there is a trend now of women legally changing their name from Karen!