Karen

See also: karen and kåren

English

Etymology 1

From Danish Karen, a vernacular form of Catherine that arose in medieval Denmark.

Alternative forms

• Caryn
• Karin
• Karyn

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkæɹən/
• IPA^(key): /ˈkæɹən/, /ˈkɛɹən/
• Rhymes: -æɹən, -ɛɹən, -ɛə(ɹ)n
• Homophone: caron
• Homophone: caring (weak vowel merger, G-dropping)
• Homophones: cairn, carn (some American accents)

Proper noun

Karen

1. A female given name from Ancient Greek.
   • 1878 Celia Thaxter, Drift-Weed, Houghton, Osgood,1878, page 28 ("Karen"):

     Left you a lover in that far land, / O Karen sad, that you pine so long! / Would I could unravel and understand / That sorrowful, sweet Norwegian song!

   • 1918 Cecily Ullman Sidgwick, Karen, W.Collins, 1918, page 12:

     I was not called Karen after Hans Andersen's dancing girl, but after a Danish friend of my mother's who married an Englishman and was my godmother. So much for our family affairs.

Usage notes

First taken up as a given name in the US, and popular in the English-speaking world from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Translations

female given name

• Portuguese: Karen f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: Ка́рен (ru) f (Kárɛn)

Etymology 2

From Parthian 𐭊𐭓𐭍𐭉 (krny /⁠Kārēn⁠/), from Old Iranian *kar-ina-. The Armenian name is from Armenian Կարեն (Karen), from the same Parthian name.

Alternative forms

• Garen (from Western Armenian)
• Kārēn (from Middle Iranian)
• Qarin, Qārin (from Arabic)
• Karin, Kārin (from New Iranian)

Proper noun

Karen

1. (historical) one of the seven great Parthian feudal families
2. An Armenian male given name from Armenian

Synonyms

• Karen-Pahlav, Karen-Pahlaw

Translations

one of the seven great Parthian feudal families

• Greek:

  Ancient: Καρανος (Karanos)

• Latin: Carenes
• Middle Persian: 𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭭𐭩 (kʾlny)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Old Armenian: Կարենի պահլաւ (Kareni pahlaw)
• Parthian: 𐭊𐭓𐭍𐭉 (krny /⁠Kārēn⁠/)
• Persian: قارن (qâran), کارن (fa) (kâren)

Armenian male given name

• Armenian: Կարեն (Karen)

  Old Armenian: Կարէն (Karēn)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: کارن (fa) (kâren)
• Russian: Каре́н (ru) (Karén)

References

• http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/karin

Etymology 3

From Burmese ကရင် (ka.rang, “wild, low-caste man”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəˈɹɛn/

Proper noun

Karen

1. A group of languages of Myanmar and Thailand.

Further reading

Ethnologue report on the Karen languages

Etymology 4

The female given name "Karen" was popular among the Baby Boomer generation.

Noun

Karen (plural Karens)

1. (Internet slang, derogatory) A woman who is a baby boomer.
2. (Internet slang, derogatory) A woman who has a disproportionate sense of entitlement. (clarification of this definition is needed).

Anagrams

• anker, knare, naker, ranke

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Cebuano

Etymology

From English Karen, from Danish.

Proper noun

Karen

1. a female given name from Danish

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Karen.

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Danish

Etymology

A medieval variant of Katharina (“Catherine”).

Proper noun

Karen

1. a female given name.

References

• [1] Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 83 320 females with the given name Karen have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 1910s. Accessed on 19 May 2011.

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Finnish

Proper noun

Karen

1. (deprecated template usage) genitive singular of Kare (the given name)

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German

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish Karen.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Alternative forms

• Caren

Proper noun

Karen

1. a female given name.

Related terms

• Karin (much more popular in Germany)
• Katharina

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Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʰaːrɛ(ː)n/

Proper noun

Karen f

1. a female given name

Declension

declension of Karen

f-s1	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	Karen	Karenin	Karenar	Karenarnar
accusative	Karenu	Karenuna	Karenar	Karenarnar
dative	Karenu	Karenunni	Karenum	Karenunum
genitive	Karenar	Karenarinnar	Karena	Karenanna

Sometimes also Karen in accusative and dative.

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Luxembourgish

Noun

Karen

1. plural of Kar (“cart”)

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Norwegian

Proper noun

Karen

1. a female given name of Danish origin.