Karen has been a widely popular name among both males and females since the 1960s.
Recently, the term has lost favor due to an online movement that uses it as an insult, targeting entitled white women who attempt to circumvent social norms for personal gain.
Origin
Karen is a Danish name meaning “purity,” that’s widely used as a girl’s name. It ranks in the top-10 lists in several states and can also be used as an insult or slur.
Karen has come to be seen in a derogatory light, often used to refer to ignorant, meddlesome, entitled individuals who treat people of colour and those working in service roles like they own them. This trend began around 2005 but has gained increasing currency over time as an expression for middle-aged white women who treat people of colour and those employed in service roles like property.
With the growing popularity of this meme, it has sparked a heated debate. Radical British feminist Julie Bindel tweeted that using ‘Karen’ as an insulting term is woman-hating and motivated by class prejudice.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when or where this expression originated – though it is believed to have been inspired by Dane Cook’s comedy routine. Other popular references include ‘ditzy Karen’ from Mean Girls and’meddling Karen’ from Goodfellas.
No matter where it originated, this phrase has spread quickly across social media and amassed an enthusiastic following. It’s particularly popular in the US where it ranked as the third most popular girls’ name in 2018.
Karen has become a worldwide phenomenon, inspiring a range of variations on the phrase. From Coronavirus Karen who won’t wear a face mask in a shop to ‘Kidz Bop Karen,’ who recently went viral for calling the police on a black family for writing ‘Black Lives Matter’ with chalk on their balcony.
Karen is one of the most hated characters. Dr Lauren Rosewarne, a University of Melbourne expert on gender and pop culture, says it is a caricature of whiteness and privilege – two problematic aspects in society today.
Many real-life Karens have expressed their distancing from the name, feeling it offensive when used as a slur. Although they sometimes joke about it in jest, seeing it printed can still cause them distress or unease.
Karen Sun, 24, from Philadelphia and resident of the Philadelphia area, explained to CNN that while some may find the name offensive or derogatory, there are actually some positive aspects to it as well.
Meaning
Karen as a Given Name
“Karen” has become the go-to term for women who are perceived as entitled or demanding beyond what’s expected. It’s been used as an insulting term on internet memes and featured in several viral videos, such as one where a woman coughed on customers at a bagel shop and another from San Francisco where someone threatened to call the police on her neighbor for stenciling Black Lives Matter on her retaining wall.
These incidents have spawned a subreddit dedicated to the term, which has seen an exponential growth from 4,000 redditors in one year to over 435,000, with people sharing all sorts of Karen-esque behavior. Users have called out everything from calling the police on little kids playing in parks to women leaning on cars in parking lots to prevent another driver from getting their desired spot.
When it comes to this slang term, there has been much discussion over whether Karen is an offensive slur or simply a way of saying certain white women feel entitled. Regardless of its classification, many believe it serves to emphasize how unfairly certain groups of white women have been treated.
Karen was linked to a group of white women who refused to wear face masks or get vaccinated after the coronavirus pandemic hit the US. This was seen as a racially-charged issue, given that people from black backgrounds are more likely to become affected by the disease than their white counterparts.
Brock lamented the history of violent white women using their privilege to exert control over others, including Emmett Till. The name “Karen” serves as a reminder both of these crimes and of the power some white women wield over other individuals, according to Brock.
As such, some white people have used it as an insult and others have noted that it doesn’t really reflect on the person using the name but rather their actions.
Popularity
A person’s first name conveys a variety of social cues. It may indicate their gender, age, religion, social class and geography. Furthermore, it conveys much about the person’s personality traits as well.
Karen’s popularity has declined sharply in recent years. In 2020, it ranked 831st on the list of most popular baby names – a 171-spot drop from its rank in 2019.
Karens tend to be middle aged women. In the United States, most individuals named Karen identify themselves as white.
There have been some exceptions to this trend, however. Katrina and Isis both dropped off the Top 1,000 after negative news coverage surrounding those names.
It’s somewhat mysterious why Karen has seen such a decline in popularity over time, but it could be that the derogatory “Karen” meme has done its worst to damage the name’s reputation.
Due to its widespread usage as a slang expression, the term has come to carry with it more negative connotations – particularly on social media platforms. Thus, it has become shorthand for bad behavior and public meltdowns.
Although the name has seen a slight decrease in popularity, it remains highly-regarded. According to data from the Social Security Administration, it was the tenth most popular baby girl name between 1921 and 2020.
Karen is the most commonly used version of this name, though it can also be spelled with other letters and sounds. Some parents prefer a more unique or unusual spelling such as Kaelin.
Karen-Jane is another spelling variation of the name that’s common in British and Scottish English.
There are various variations of the name Karen-Anne, such as Karen-Anne in French and German (which means “to make a friend”).
In many cases, the term can be interpreted as sexism or racism. It’s usually applied to women who gossip on children at lemonade stands or meddle in other people’s affairs.
Variations
Karen is a given name with many variations. It derives from the Greek word Aikaterine and means “pure.” Although popular during the 1960s, Karen has since fallen out of favor.
Karen is one of the more commonly used baby names in America, ranking #3 for 1965. As with many first names, its meaning can be interpreted based on gender, age, ethnicity, religion or social class. It’s one of the more universally popular options.
However, this term often carries with it a negative connotation and has been connected to sexist and racist activities. Furthermore, some have used it as an idiom for self-important, bossy women.
It is essential to be aware that there are various variations of the name Karen, such as Karyn, Kalina and Taryn. Unfortunately, these variants are much less frequent than the original Karen form.
Karen has experienced a dramatic surge and decline in popularity over the years, with recent data indicating it to be the least popular baby name in America. For a decade, this name ranked between 45-50 percentiles.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), Karen has become a derogatory term for an older white woman who engages in aggressive behavior and racism. These actions are usually captured on video, followed by calls out from social media users or news outlets about the Karen involved.
Examples include “Central Park Karen,” who called police on a black birdwatcher, and “Costco Karen,” who threw a tantrum when asked to wear a mask. Other cases involve road rage such as “Kidz Bop Karen,” who shouted racist slurs at Lyft drivers while their kids were riding in the car.
Like other generic female names, Karen has become a slang term with a negative connotation and often associated with sexism and racism. However, these terms aren’t necessarily racist since they poke fun at an oppressed group (whites). Additionally, these expressions can serve to make people aware of problematic behaviors that aren’t being addressed elsewhere.
