Kari
Kari is a man's name in Finland and a woman's name in the United States and Norway. 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.
Kari · Kári · Kåri
- Verdict
- Depends on the country
- Male / female split
- 25% male / 75% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Finland, Iceland
- Also spelled
- Kári, Kåri
- US births since 1880
- 663 male / 58,680 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Kari
To address Kari when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Kari," in English, "Guten Tag Kari," in German. Kari is a man's name in Finland 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 Kari,
German
Guten Tag Kari,
French
Bonjour Kari,
Spanish
Estimado/a Kari:
Chinese
Kari您好：
Japanese
Kari様
English
Hi Kari,
German
Hi Kari,
French
Salut Kari,
Spanish
Hola Kari,
Chinese
Kari你好：
Japanese
Kari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 | 1% |
| Finland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Iceland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Denmark | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Sweden | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Switzerland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Estonia | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
663 male · 58,680 female · 59,343 births recorded
Since 1980: 1% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kari a male or female name?
Kari is a man's name in Finland and a woman's name in the United States and Norway. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
How do I address Kari in an email?
To address Kari when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Kari," in English, "Guten Tag Kari," in German. Kari is a man's name in Finland 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 Kari a unisex name?
Kari is not a unisex name: 25% of people named Kari 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 Kari a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/kari (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_kari,
title = {Is Kari a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/kari},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}