# Why Karen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2020, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633 "2020-03-30T00:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/21 "2020-03-30T17:05:31Z")
Best place I’ve found for researching names is Behind The Name. Here’s [Karen’s popularity](http://www.behindthename.com/name/karen-1/top/united-states) in the US, for example. You can even compare two names like [Karen and Jennifer](http://www.behindthename.com/name/karen/top/united-states/f?compare=jennifer). ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/22 "2020-03-30T19:04:14Z")
If this about using “Karen” to stand in for a demanding and over-entitled sort of woman, would it be harking too far back to think of “Karen Walker” in “Will and Grace”? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/23 "2020-03-30T20:03:48Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > One of the popular girls in my HS (class of '90) was a Karen. She’s the right age group for the stereotypical Karen. Thing is I don’t remember a plethora of Karens back then, just her. It definitely didn’t ring as an “old” name at the time though. EdelweissPirate is right, Jennifer would have been better as a solid Gen-X name though. Early Generation Xer here. Speaking just for myself, I’ve known far more women my age named Lisa, Jennifer, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Amy, Melissa, Lynn, Maria, Debra/Deborah, a Chris/Christine/Christina/Kristen/Kirsten/Kiersten derivative, or one of the early generation of popular “black” names (Monique, Keisha, Chantal, etc.) than those named Karen. I grew up in a VERY Catholic city with a reputation as a place that was culturally 5-10 years behind the rest of the country as a whole, and the old-school Catholic names (Mary, Margaret, Beth, Ann, or some combination with two of them) and Italian names (Gina, Angela, Maria, Andrea, etc) seemed more prevalent that Karen. Somewhat dated names like Theresa, Janet, and Linda weren’t that uncommon among kids my age and younger, but Karen … not nonexistent, but getting rare. I’d lump in Karen with the Class of '80, with Barbara, Judy, Sharon, Sandra, and Diane, than with Michelle, Dawn, and Laura from the Class of '84. Jennifer instead of Karen? No way. The two- and three- syllable J-names of the era always struck me as belonging to someone who was fun. Jennifer, Jessica, and Julie were cheerleaders. Also, Jennifer belongs to the family of names that can have “happy” diminutive ee/ie/y forms – Jenny, Jessie, Missy, Chrissy, Cindy, Becky, etc. “Karen” starts with a hard-K sound, and it doesn’t have an informal diminutive form. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/24 "2020-03-30T20:37:39Z")
A similar GD thread. [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=890388](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=890388) ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/25 "2020-03-30T21:27:36Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > I grew up in a VERY Catholic city with a reputation as a place that was culturally 5-10 years behind the rest of the country as a whole, and the old-school Catholic names (Mary, Margaret, Beth, Ann, or some combination with two of them) and Italian names (Gina, Angela, Maria, Andrea, etc) seemed more prevalent that Karen. I was going to say the reason was that there was no St. Karen, but I’m glad [I checked first](https://thehiddenalmanac.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Karen_of_Price): > [@](#): > > Saint Karen of Price. February 25 is the Feast Day of Saint Karen of Price, patron of washerwomen. But, [upon further review](https://forums.catholic.com/t/is-there-a-st-karen/269807), this seems to be a joke, despite the fact that you can buy St Karen medallions at places like [The St Jude Shop](https://www.stjudeshop.com/shop-religious-articles/patron-saints/st-karen/st-karen-medal/) and [Discount Catholic Store](https://discountcatholicstore.com/products/st-karen-sterling-medal). So if there was not a St Karen, you would be unlikely to find a Karen in a traditional Catholic community. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/26 "2020-03-30T23:59:17Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s like the Bruce meme many years ago, which was supposed to represent gay men. Usually said with a lisp. Hopefully this meme will die a squealing death in short order. I know two women named Karen, and they’re both lovely people. Every Karen I know is pretty nice or at worst- not bad. I dont know of and have never met a Karen who acts like the meme. I think the meme is mean and hurtful to actual people named Karen. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/27 "2020-03-31T08:55:11Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > I was going to say the reason was that there was no St. Karen, but I’m glad [I checked first](https://thehiddenalmanac.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Karen_of_Price): > > But, [upon further review](https://forums.catholic.com/t/is-there-a-st-karen/269807), this seems to be a joke, despite the fact that you can buy St Karen medallions at places like [The St Jude Shop](https://www.stjudeshop.com/shop-religious-articles/patron-saints/st-karen/st-karen-medal/) and [Discount Catholic Store](https://discountcatholicstore.com/products/st-karen-sterling-medal). > > So if there was not a St Karen, you would be unlikely to find a Karen in a traditional Catholic community. Karen = Katherine (one of the hundreds of variations on the name). Well-known Christian saint. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/28 "2020-03-31T09:21:07Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Also, Jennifer belongs to the family of names that can have “happy” diminutive ee/ie/y forms – Jenny, Jessie, Missy, Chrissy, Cindy, Becky, etc. “Karen” starts with a hard-K sound, and it doesn’t have an informal diminutive form. What’s wrong with ‘Kari’? (Works for males, too.) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/29 "2020-03-31T11:56:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Every Karen I know is pretty nice or at worst- not bad. I dont know of and have never met a Karen who acts like the meme. > > I think the meme is mean and hurtful to actual people named Karen. The meme involves characteristics shared by "“Karens” _not_ people named Karen. A Judy can be a Karen, while a Karen is not necessarily a Karen. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/30 "2020-03-31T13:26:50Z")
I think Debbie would have worked better than Karen, but nobody asked me. Anyone know a Felicia? I bet they are so weary of people saying bye to them. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/31 "2020-03-31T13:47:01Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Anyone know a Felicia? I used to know someone named Felecia Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/32 "2020-03-31T13:49:10Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Karen = Katherine (one of the hundreds of variations on the name). Well-known Christian saint. Incidentally, not to be confused with the Israeli name “Keren”, which was _very_ popular in my Gen-X age group - the most popular girl’s name here from 1975 to 1978. The Hebrew name means “ray”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/33 "2020-03-31T19:04:54Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Anyone know a Felicia? I bet they are so weary of people saying bye to them. First person I think of is actress Felicia Day, who I met in person once and was extremely nice and humble (when she really didn’t have to be, she was actually in a hurry to get somewhere but wasn’t at all rude). ---
**Author:** ![Mirtha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mirtha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirtha)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/34 "2020-04-01T14:21:33Z")
The redditors chose this name for middle aged women - the sheeple, consumer, maybe mouth-breather types. It’s like people whose names are not Johnnie, using a Johnnie On The Job. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/35 "2020-04-01T15:47:07Z")
Do you pronounce the name /ˈkɑːɹən/ or /ˈkæɹən/or /ˈkɛɹən/ (kar-in, rhymes with “star in”; ka-rin, rhymes with “barren”; or keh-rin, sounds like a truncated “caring”)? I think only the latter two are prevalent in the USA, just wonder which is used for the stereotype. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/36 "2020-04-02T00:36:27Z")
> [@EdelweissPirate](#): > > . > > “Karen” is a bit of demographic savvy to isolate the youngest boomers. It’s a smarter epithet than it gets credit for. No, I’m pretty sure the Karen images making their way around the internet are too young to be one of us–at least the ones that I’ve seen. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/37 "2020-04-02T03:10:20Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Do you pronounce the name /ˈkɑːɹən/ or /ˈkæɹən/or /ˈkɛɹən/ (kar-in, rhymes with “star in”; ka-rin, rhymes with “barren”; or keh-rin, sounds like a truncated “caring”)? > > I think only the latter two are prevalent in the USA, just wonder which is used for the stereotype. To me, _barren_ and _carin’_ rhyme. “Car-in” is not a pronunciation I’ve ever heard in the US. Though if I read it as a Japanese word I’d pronounce it “car-ehn”. ---
**Author:** ![cmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@cmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmore)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/38 "2020-04-02T08:45:40Z")
very cute girl next door type chick doing stand up. way funnier than the total views would indicate. Karen joke at the 4:50 mark. video is only 5:10 long. 6 Jen D’Angelo [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/E4q9v9qu5QE/maxresdefault.jpg "6 Jen D'Angelo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4q9v9qu5QE) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/39 "2020-04-02T11:09:10Z")
I wonder if it’s a pronunciation thing. Many non-English speakers have problems with 'L’s and 'R’s etc but I suspect that few would have too much trouble with Karen. I read once that ‘Kodak’ was a name chosen because a) it wasn’t a rude word in any language, and b) it was easy for most people to say. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633/40 "2020-04-02T11:37:04Z")
How many Karens does it take to change a lightbulb? “That’s not funny. I want to talk to your manager. Now.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-karen/850633.md?page=3)