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Girl · Greek, through Latin and Swedish
Karin
Say it: KAH-rin
Meaning
A Swedish short form of Katarina (Catherine). The root is unknown; the popular meaning 'pure' comes from a later association with Greek katharos.
Disputedsharp disagreement, or a popular meaning that is not supported.
Long common in Sweden and among the most-used Swedish girls' names of the 20th century.
Its wave through time
A fashion of the 1960s
In the United States
- 28,619 babies given this name since 1907
- At its height in 1969, about 1 in 1,700 girls
- 20 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Carin
| Danish | Karen |
|---|---|
| Norwegian | Kari |
| Finnish | Kaarina |
| English | Katherine |
Famous bearers
- Karin Månsdotter, queen of Sweden
- Karin Larsson, Swedish artist
- Karen Blixen, Danish author
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Calendars of saints and name days
- Parish baptism registers
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.