Karen is continuing to decline as a popular baby name, data shows

There were just 325 babies named Karen in 2020

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The name Karen has continued to fall in popularity, with the moniker dropping more than 100 spots on the list of popular baby names in 2020.

According to data from the Social Security Administration, the name, which has become frequently associated with people, especially white women, who are entitled, demanding, or reliant on their white privilege, fell 171 spots on the popularity list from 2019 to 2020.

As a result, the name found itself placed 831st place last year, with just 325 babies named Karen in 2020, a decrease from the 439 children given the name the year prior.

The waning popularity for the name is not necessarily a new phenomenon, however, as the number of babies named Karen have steadily been declining for more than a decade, according to the Social Security Administration.

The name was most popular in 2003, a year which saw 2,331 babies named Karen. However, at its height of popularity, Karen placed in 141 on the list of popular names.

Interestingly, the drop has been coinciding with a decrease in popularity of the name Chad, which is often considered the male equivalent of a Karen, according to data previously released by BabyCenter,

While Karen is not as popular as it once was, it wasn’t the name to experience the biggest drop in popularity over the last year, as that went to Yaritza for girls with a drop of 387 places and Vivaan for boys, with a change of 378.

For boy names, the moniker with the biggest boost in popularity from 2019 was found to be Zyair, while Avayah saw the highest jump for girls.

As for the most popular names last year, the winner for boys was Liam for the fifth year in a row, while the favoured girl name was Olivia for the second year in a row.

Rounding out the top five popular names for boys, parents frequently chose Noah, Oliver, Elijah and William, while newborn daughters were often named Emma, Ava, Charlotte and Sophia.