The baby name Karen may soon be no more. Photo / Getty Images
The baby name Karen may soon be no more. Photo / Getty Images
She's best known for asking to speak to the manager, carrying out racist micro-aggressions and flaunting her middle-class white privilege.
Yet it appears that - at least outside the realm of social media - "Karen" is no more.
According to the latest birth registration data, the name Karen is dying out and has hit a record low, with just 14 of them born in 2019.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its annual figures on the most popular baby names on Wednesday and found a declining number of Karens born in England and Wales - a trend which coincides with the mounting popularity of the Karen meme.
"Karen" is typically used to describe a specific type of middle-class woman whose behaviours display privilege. The slang term is also used across social media platforms and is represented as an irritating and antagonistic female character.
The name has become synonymous with the type of person who demands to "speak to the manager", holds anti-vaccination beliefs and makes sweeping racist remarks.
As a result, the ONS found that the name has been steadily declining in popularity. In 2018, 21 Karens were born. The previous year, the number of Karens fell again to just 16, however, in 2016 there were 18 and by 2015 there were 23.
In contrast, in 1996, there were 76 Karens and in 2006 there were 43 Karens registered at birth.
Researchers said that the impact of popular culture on "the baby name landscape" is an omnipresent theme when compiling this data.
However, it is not just Karens who have been scorned. The number of parents naming their newborn sons Andrew has also plummeted from 284 in 2018, to 222 last year.
Prince Andrew gave an unprecedented interview regarding his friendship with disgraced billionaire sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, in November 2019 following his suicide in prison three months earlier. The prince has repeatedly denied allegations claimed to have risen out of the association.
While expectant mothers have shunned Karen and Andrew, the ONS data showed that they have instead opted for more quirky names, such as Oakley, Hudson and Chester, which entered the top 100 most popular boys' names for the first time.
There's a reason this baby name is so unpopular. Photo / 123rf
Meanwhile for newborn girls, Lara and Mabel replaced Aisha and Francesca in the top 100 girls' names; Mabel has not been in the top 100 since 1924.
There was no moving Olivia and Oliver from the top spots, however. Oliver has been the top boy's name since 2013, while Olivia has been the top girl's name since 2016.
David Corps, Vital Statistics Outputs Branch at the ONS, said: "Oliver and Olivia continued their reign as the top boys' and girls' names in 2019, but analysis shows choices in baby names can differ depending on the mother's age.
"We found younger mothers opted for more modern girls' names like Harper, which has seen a rise since the Beckhams named their daughter so in 2011, and shortened boys' names like Freddie. In contrast, older mothers chose more traditional names such as Jack and Charlotte.
"Popular culture continues to influence the baby names landscape. Following Dua Lipa's first UK number one single in 2017, the number of girls named Dua has doubled from 63 to 126 in 2019."
It is not just the ONS, however, which has noted the declining appetite for "Karens". Last week the online casino, PlayOJO, released data showing that 62 per cent of UK adults associate the name with traits including entitlement, obnoxiousness, privilege and being demanding.
The survey found that 69 per cent of UK adults aged 40 to 54 would not name their child Karen due to the associated connotations, and would be concerned when having to talk to someone with the name.
A further 6 per cent would not want to match with someone called Karen on dating apps and one in five - 18 per cent - would feel uneasy if their mother-in-law had the name.
In 2020, the term "Karen" was applied to several white women who were filmed harassing people of colour, including calling the police on them for no criminal reason.
More recently, during the coronavirus pandemic, "Karen" has been used to describe people who disagree with self-isolation, wearing masks and with social distancing in general.
