Karen
Karen is a man's name in Armenia and a woman's name in the United States and Denmark. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
This name's gender leans differently depending on the country — check the table below before you assume.
- Verdict
- Depends on the country
- Male / female split
- 3% male / 97% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Armenia, Denmark
- US births since 1880
- 2,771 male / 985,655 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Karen
To address Karen when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Karen," in English, "Guten Tag Karen," in German. Karen is a man's name in Armenia and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Karen,
German
Guten Tag Karen,
French
Bonjour Karen,
Spanish
Estimado/a Karen:
Chinese
Karen您好：
Japanese
Karen様
English
Hi Karen,
German
Hi Karen,
French
Salut Karen,
Spanish
Hola Karen,
Chinese
Karen你好：
Japanese
Karenさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | woman's name | 0% |
| Armenia | common | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Great Britain | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Ireland | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Iceland | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Malta | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Belgium | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Germany | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Israel | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Netherlands | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Norway | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
Show all 19 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azerbaijan | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| France | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| East Frisia | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Austria | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Estonia | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Sweden | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
2,771 male · 985,655 female · 988,426 births recorded
Since 1980: 1% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Karen a male or female name?
Karen is a man's name in Armenia and a woman's name in the United States and Denmark. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
How do I address Karen in an email?
To address Karen when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Karen," in English, "Guten Tag Karen," in German. Karen is a man's name in Armenia and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Is Karen a unisex name?
Karen is not a unisex name: 3% of people named Karen are men. The gender leans heavily on which country the person is from.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Karen a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/karen (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_karen,
title = {Is Karen a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/karen},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}