Karen is a female given name, and a Danish short version of Katherine. The pronunciation of the name is [ kuh-ren ]. The name Karen is of Danish origin, and it means "pure" or "chaste." It ranked in the top 10 during 1950s and 1960s, peaking at the #3 in 1965. There are multiple celebrities with the name. In addition, the name is currently being used for Atlantic tropical cyclones.'Karren' is also a surname. This is a unique name (not in the top 1000 newborn names in the US in 2021).Karen has also became a derogatory term for middle-aged white women. view more...