Karen - Names
Meaning of the name Karen
Gender:
Female
Meaning:
Pure (from Greek: katharos),
each of two (from Greek: hekateros)
History & etymology:
Karen is a name of Danish origin and a derivative of Katherine.
Katherine comes from the ancient Greek name Hekaterine, which was modelled on the name of goddess Hecate. Subsequently, the influence of early Christianity gave rise to the form Katerine. Having dropped the onset 'he-', the name acquired positive connotations with purity (from Greek - katharos: pure).
The name was introduced to English language by Scandinavian settlers in America and became a popular given name after 1930s.
Although the name Karen in this particular form has no patron, there are many saints by the name Catherine, e.g.: Catherine of Alexandria, Catherine of Bologna, Catherine of Bologna, Catherine of Ricci, Catherine of Siena, Caterina Volpicelli.
Catherine of Siena was born in 1347 in Italy. She was known for being devoted to her parents, giving her belongings away to the poor and for extreme fasting.
She was one of her parents' 25 children and had a twin sister. When her twin sister died, the parents offered Catherine as a replacement to her widowed husband. In order to avoid marriage, Catherine uglified herself by cutting off her hair. Seeing her desperation, Catherine's parents allowed her to lead single life as she pleased.
Shortly after that, Catherine started to have mystical visions. She spoke of her sacred marriage to Jesus Christ and even claimed that she had worn an invisible wedding ring. Before having fasted to death in 1380, she established a monastery for women and wrote over 400 Letters, inspired by the Holy Ghost.
Her feast day is celebrated on 29th April.
Alternative spellings:
Caren, Careen, Kareen, Karyn, Keren, Karena, Kerena
Similar names in other languages & name days:
Czech Republic
2nd January: Karina
Estonia
25th November: Kaarin, Karin
Finland
25th November: Kaarina
France
24th March: Karine
Germany
24th March: Karin
8th November: Karina
Hungary
24th March: Karina
Italy
29th April: Karen
Latvia
17th March,17th October: Karina
Lithuania
7th November: Karina
Poland
2nd August: Karina
Slovak Republic
2nd January: Karina
Spain
7th November: Carina
Sweden
2nd August: Karin
USA
25th November: Karen
Famous people named Karen:
Karen Anderson (1971-) - Jamaican squash player
Karen Arthur(1941-) - American film producer,director and actress
Karen Black (1939-2013) - American actress
Karen Blixen (1885-1962) - Danish writer
Karen Carpenter (1950-1983) - American singer
Karen Gillan (1987-) - Scottish actress
Karen Kain (1951-) - Canadian ballerina
Karen McDougal (1971-) - American model
Karen Rosenberg (1975-) - Danish singer
Karen Tilley (1964-) - Miss Canada 1985
Fun facts:
Popularity:
USA: 504th (2015)
England: 1324th (2013), but the trend is growing
Lucky colors: green, yellow
Lucky stone: Aquamarine
Ruling planet: Mercury
Characteristics: intuitive, idealistic, persuasive, bold, independent, charismatic, impractical
1. Karen is the name of a character in popular TV series "The Walking Dead".
2. A form of Karen: Garen is a masculine given name in Armenia.