Karen (name)
Encyclopedia
In English, Karen is a mostly known as a feminine given name, derived from the Danish
short form of Katherine.
The name Karen 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.
However, in Armenian
, Karen is a masculine name but unrelated to the feminine name, it is derived from the name a prince of Caren of Persian origin, having his origins probably from the name of House of Karen
, aristocratic family, one of so-called Parthian clans
.
Karen can also be a surname.
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
short form of Katherine.
The name Karen 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.
However, in Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
, Karen is a masculine name but unrelated to the feminine name, it is derived from the name a prince of Caren of Persian origin, having his origins probably from the name of House of Karen
House of Karen
The House of Karen were an aristocratic feudal family of Hyrcania...
, aristocratic family, one of so-called Parthian clans
Seven Parthian clans
The Seven Parthian clans or Seven Houses were seven purportedly "Parthian" feudal aristocracies allied with the Sassanid court.Only two of the seven - the House of Suren and the House of Karen - are actually attested in sources dateable to the Arsacid period...
.
Karen can also be a surname.
First name
- Karen AllenKaren AllenKaren Jane Allen is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...
(born 1951), American actress - Karen AndersonKaren AndersonKaren Anderson is a professional female squash player who represented Jamaica during her career. She reached a career-high world ranking of World No...
(born 1971), Jamaican squash player - Karen ArmstrongKaren ArmstrongKaren Armstrong FRSL , is a British author and commentator who is the author of twelve books on comparative religion. A former Roman Catholic nun, she went from a conservative to a more liberal and mystical faith...
(born 1944), British author on comparative religion - Karen BlixenKaren BlixenBaroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke , , née Karen Christenze Dinesen, was a Danish author also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen. She also wrote under the pen names Osceola and Pierre Andrézel...
(1885–1962), Danish author under the pen name Isak Dinesen - Karen CarpenterKaren CarpenterKaren Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
(1950–1983), American singer and drummer in the duo The Carpenters - Karen Clark-Sheard (born 1960), American gospel singer and songwriter, member of the Clark Sisters
- Karen DunneKaren DunneKaren Dunne is a retired female professional cyclist from the United States. She is best known for winning the gold medal at the women's individual road race at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. She also won 11 U.S...
(born 1967), American track and road cyclist - Karen ElsonKaren ElsonKaren Elson is a British model, singer-songwriter and guitarist.As a child, Elson attended North Chadderton School in Chadderton with her twin sister, filmmaker Kate Elson. She began working as a model as a teenager....
(born 1979), British model and singer - Karen GillanKaren GillanKaren Sheila Gillan is a Scottish actress and former model who is best known for her current portrayal of Amy Pond in the British science fiction series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
(born 1987), Scottish actress - Karen HorningKaren HorningKaren Horning is a former female breaststroke swimmer, who swam for Peru at the 1988 Summer Olympics.At the Games, she finished in 28th and in 24th place , setting the nation record latter . As of late 2009, it still stands as the Peru Record.-References:...
(born 1966), Peruvian breaststroke swimmer - Karen KainKaren KainKaren Alexandria Kain, CC is a retired Canadian ballet dancer, and currently the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada.-Early Training:...
(born 1951), Canadian ballerina, currently artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada - Karen KotteKaren KotteKaren Kotte was a Danish merchant.Daughter of the mayor of Odense, merchant Jørgen Nielsen Kotte and Kirsten Peder Christophersdatter and in 1572 married to merchant Claus Mikkelsen. During the war of 1563-1570 she financed the Danish military in companionship with Oluf Bager and Hans Mule for...
(dead 1509), Danish merchant - Karen KillileaKaren KillileaKaren Ann Killilea is the subject of two bestselling books by her mother Marie Killilea, Karen and With Love from Karen. These books were groundbreaking by asserting that children with cerebral palsy could lead productive lives....
(born 1940), subject of two books by her mother, Marie Killilea - Karen KingsburyKaren kingsburyKaren Kingsbury is an American Christian novelist. Her first novel was Missy's Murder. She got this idea from an optional topic in the Los Angeles Times....
Christian fiction author - Karen KurreckKaren KurreckKaren Brems Kurreck is a retired female racing cyclist from the United States. She is best known for winning the inaugural women's individual time trial at the 1994 UCI Road World Championships in Catania, Italy. Kurreck represented her native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney,...
(born 1962), American road cyclist - Karen LaFaceKaren LaFaceKaren Marie LaFace is a retired female diver from the United States. She competed for her native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics, finishing in ninth place in the Women's 3m Springboard event...
(born 1966), American diver - Karen LancaumeKaren LancaumeKaren Lancaume was a French pornographic film actress. She appeared in around 40 movies between 1996 and 2002. She is best known internationally for her starring role as Nadine in the controversial 2000 film, Baise-moi...
(1973–2005), French pornographic actress - Karen McDougalKaren McDougalKaren McDougal is an American model and actress. She is known for her appearances in Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month for December 1997 and Playmate of the Year of 1998. In 2001, the readers of Playboy voted McDougal "No...
(born 1971), American model, actress and Playboy Playmate - Karen MokKaren MokKaren Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
(born 1970), Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter - Karen MulderKaren MulderKaren Mulder is a Dutch former model and singer. During the 90s, she had a successful modeling career and was recognized as a world-class "supermodel" by various media...
(born 1968), Dutch model and singer - Karen Ann QuinlanKaren Ann QuinlanKaren Ann Quinlan was an important figure in the history of the right to die controversy in the United States....
(1954–1985), central figure in an American right-to-die controversy - Karen Smith (Australian) (born 1979), Australian field hockey player
- Karen Smith (New Zealand)Karen Smith (New Zealand)Karen Smith is a retired female field hockey player from New Zealand. She was a member of the Women's National Team, nicknamed The Black Sticks, that won the bronze medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia....
(born 1970), New Zealand field hockey player - Karen SmyersKaren SmyersKaren Smyers is a triathlete from the United States. She was inducted into the Triathlon Hall of Fame in January 2009.-External links:*...
(born 1961), American triathlete - Karen Taylor (comedian)Karen Taylor (comedian)Karen Taylor is an English actress and comedian. She is a former finalist in the prestigious Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award and has fronted her own sketch show on BBC Three, entitled Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor.Taylor studied Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick 1994-1998, where she got to...
(born 1976), British comedienne - Karen Hill, wife of mobster Henry Hill, depicted in GoodfellasGoodfellasGoodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
Armenian men named Karen
- Karen AsrianKaren AsrianKaren Asrian was an Armenian chess Grandmaster.As of the October 2006 FIDE rating list, his Elo rating was 2634, tied for the fourth highest rank in Armenia....
(1980–2008), Armenian chess grandmaster - Karen DemirchyanKaren DemirchyanKaren Demirchyan was a Soviet Armenian communist, First Secretary of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1974 to 1988 and later independent politician...
(1932–1999), Armenian politician - Karen KhachaturianKaren KhachaturianKaren Surenovich Khachaturian, was a Soviet and Russian composer of Armenian ethnicity and the nephew of composer Aram Khachaturian.Khachaturian was born in Moscow, the son of Suren Khachaturian, a theatrical director...
(born 1920), Armenian/Russian composer - Karen ShakhnazarovKaren ShakhnazarovKaren Georgievich Shakhnazarov is a Soviet and Russian-Armenian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He became the Director General of the Mosfilm studios in 1998.Shakhnazarov is the son of a prominent politician of Armenian descent, Georgy Shakhnazarov....
(born 1952), Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter of Armenian origins
Live action
- Karen Barclay, on the hit 1988 horror film Child's PlayChild's PlayChild's Play is a 1988 American horror film written by Don Mancini and directed by Tom Holland. The film was released on November 9, 1988 and stars Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon and Brad Dourif...
- Karen HayesKaren HayesKaren Hayes is a fictional character on the television program 24 portrayed by actress Jayne Atkinson. She appeared as a recurring character in twelve episodes of the fifth season and was a main cast member in eighteen episodes of the sixth season....
, on the television series 24 - Karen FilippelliKaren FilippelliKaren Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
, on the television series The Office - Karen SiscoKaren SiscoKaren Sisco is a television series about a fictional United States Marshal created by novelist Elmore Leonard.As a U.S. Deputy Marshal, based on Miami, Florida's Gold Coast, Karen must deal with the underbelly of South Beach nightlife and Palm Beach highlife while tracking down fugitives. She also...
, an American television series, eponymous character played by Carla Gugino - Karen Walker, in the television series Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
- Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie, on the television series Knots LandingKnots LandingKnots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
- Karen Smith, in the motion picture Mean GirlsMean GirlsMean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
- Karen Collins, wife of protagonist in Irving WallaceIrving WallaceIrving Wallace was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. Wallace was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme. One critic described him "as the most successful of all the many exponents of junk fiction perhaps because he took it all so seriously, not so say...
's novel The R Document - Karen Darling, on the television series Dirty Sexy MoneyDirty Sexy MoneyDirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment...
- Karen Pelly, from the Canadian series Corner GasCorner GasCorner Gas is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on CTV and The Comedy Network in Canada; it formerly aired on WGN America in the United States....
- Chief Karen Vicks, a character from the American television dramedy PsychPsychPsych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
- Karen Mizuki, in J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai
Cartoon
- Karen Araragi, in BakemonogatariBakemonogatariis a Japanese popular light novel series written by Japanese novelist Nisio Isin and illustrated by Taiwanese illustrator Vofan; the series is published by Kodansha under the Kodansha Box imprint...
- Karen Onodera from Please Twins!Please Twins!, is an anime television series, scripted by Yousuke Kuroda and produced by Bandai Visual, which was later adapted into a light novel and one-volume manga series. It centers on a family of three teenagers in high school all living together who are unsure which two of them are related to each other...
- Karen, in Sister PrincessSister Princessis a popular Japanese seinen series written by Sakurako Kimino and illustrated by Naoto Tenhiro. It began as a serialized light novel series in 1999. In 2001, a manga series and a bishōjo game for the Sony PlayStation were released. Sequels to the game were released for the PlayStation and Game Boy...
- Karen (Pokémon), a character in Pokémon media
- Karen, Plankton's computer wife in the Nickelodeon series SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
and in the movieThe SpongeBob SquarePants MovieThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a 2004 American animated film based on the popular Nickelodeon television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The film stars the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Doug Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Tambor, and... - Karen, cartoon character assisting Frosty to the North Pole in Frosty the SnowmanFrosty the Snowman"Frosty the Snowman" is a popular song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950. It was written after the success of Autry's recording of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the previous year; Rollins and Nelson shipped the...
- Karen Minazuki, in Yes! Pretty Cure 5
- Karen Kasumi, a firemaster in anime and manga X/1999
- Karen, companion of Frosty the SnowmanFrosty the Snowman"Frosty the Snowman" is a popular song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950. It was written after the success of Autry's recording of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the previous year; Rollins and Nelson shipped the...