Kari

Kari: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“pure”
Origin
Scandinavian
Say it
KAR-ee · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls

In Scandinavian use, Kari is commonly a form related to Katherine through Karin, giving the meaning 'pure'. It is also used in Finland, where usage and background can vary by sex and language.

How popular is Kari?

202446.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Kari in 2024154

2024 rank#1,840 girls

Peak year1975

Total US babies since 188060,515

Kari is rising: use over the last five years is 1.6× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Kari

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Kaiapure · Scandinavian
  • Astriddivinely beautiful · Scandinavian
  • Marenof the sea · Scandinavian
  • Brendasword · Scandinavian
  • Livlife · Scandinavian
  • Annikagrace · Scandinavian
  • Erikaeternal ruler · Scandinavian
  • IngridIng is beautiful · Scandinavian

Kari questions

What does the name Kari mean?

Kari means "pure". It comes from Scandinavian. In Scandinavian use, Kari is commonly a form related to Katherine through Karin, giving the meaning 'pure'. It is also used in Finland, where usage and background can vary by sex and language.

Is Kari a boy or girl name?

Kari is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Kari?

154 US babies were named Kari in 2024. Its peak year was 1975.

How do you pronounce Kari?

Kari is usually pronounced KAR-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.