UK girl's name
Karena
Of Hindu origin, meaning "compassionate", "merciful" or "blessed".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2007. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Karena is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Karena popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2007 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5201, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 7 births.
This profile covers 23 England and Wales registrations across 5 recorded years from 1996 to 2007. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 30 living people in the UK are called Karena. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2008 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Karena ranked #5201 for girls in England and Wales in 2007, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 7 girls were registered as Karena.
- • Karena ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #634 in 1991.
- • About 30 living people in the UK are estimated to have Karena as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5201
2007
Births in 2007
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
7 births
Estimated living
30
2026
Meaning
What does Karena mean?
The name Karena is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, where it is derived from the word "karuna," meaning "compassion" or "mercy." This name is thought to have first emerged in ancient India, possibly as early as the 5th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karena can be found in the Hindu sacred text, the Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 4th century BCE. In this epic, Karena is mentioned as the name of a minor character, though the specific context is unclear.
During the medieval period, the name Karena gained some popularity among certain Buddhist communities in South and Southeast Asia. This was likely due to the name's association with the Buddhist concept of karuna, which emphasizes compassion and empathy towards all living beings.
In the 12th century, a Buddhist scholar and monk named Karena Shri is known to have lived in what is now modern-day Myanmar. He is credited with translating several important Buddhist texts from Pali to the local language, helping to spread the teachings of Buddhism in the region.
Moving forward to the 16th century, there are records of a female warrior named Karena who fought alongside the Mughal emperor Akbar in the Indian subcontinent. She is said to have been a skilled archer and played a significant role in several battles against rival forces.
In the 18th century, a prominent philosopher and social reformer named Karena Devi lived in the Indian state of Rajasthan. She advocated for women's rights and education, challenging the prevailing societal norms of the time.
Another notable figure with the name Karena was Karena Nath, an Indian independence activist and politician who lived from 1887 to 1963. He played a crucial role in the struggle for India's freedom from British rule and later served as a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the country's constitution.
While the name Karena has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Buddhist traditions, it has since gained popularity across various cultures and regions. However, it is important to note that historical records and references to this name are relatively scarce, particularly in the Western world.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Karena over time
The chart below shows babies named Karena registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2007. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Karena, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2007, compared with 7 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karena by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Karena was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #3866 | 10 | 2 |
| 1990s | #3281 | 13 | 3 |
Geography
Where Karena is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Karena. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Karena ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #634 in 1991.
Across the UK
Karena in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#634 in 1991
2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Karena
-
Karena Johnson
theatre director
British theatre director
2000-
Related
Names similar to Karena
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Karena: questions and answers
How popular is the name Karena in the UK right now?
In 2007, Karena was ranked #5201 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Karena most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 7 babies registered as Karena in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Karena?
Of Hindu origin, meaning "compassionate", "merciful" or "blessed".
How many people are called Karena in the UK?
A total of 23 babies have been registered as Karena across the 5 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland.
Where is Karena most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Karena ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #634 in 1991. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.