UK girl's name
Karys
Karys is a feminine name of Greek origin meaning "eternal life" or "immortal existence".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2017. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Karys is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Karys popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2017 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5765, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 16 births.
This profile covers 179 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1996 to 2017. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 19% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 250 living people in the UK are called Karys. 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 2018 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Karys ranked #5765 for girls in England and Wales in 2017, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 16 girls were registered as Karys.
- • Karys ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #413 in 2007.
- • About 250 living people in the UK are estimated to have Karys as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5765
2017
Births in 2017
3
Latest year
Peak year
2005
16 births
Estimated living
250
2026
Meaning
What does Karys mean?
The given name Karys is believed to have originated from the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Germanic peoples who inhabited Scandinavia and their diaspora during the Viking Age, roughly between the 8th and 11th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "kárr," which means "curly" or "curled," referring to the physical characteristic of having curly hair.
Karys was a relatively uncommon name during the Viking Age, but it did appear in some ancient Norse sagas and historical records. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the "Grettis saga," a 14th-century Icelandic saga that tells the story of the outlaw Grettir the Strong. In this saga, Karys is mentioned as the name of a Norwegian farmer.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Karys. One such person was Karys Magnusson (1280-1347), a Norwegian chieftain and landowner who played a significant role in the Norwegian Civil War, also known as the "Age of the Sturlungs," which lasted from 1130 to 1240.
Another historical figure named Karys was Karys Halldorsdottir (1525-1589), an Icelandic noblewoman and landowner who was known for her involvement in a long-running feud between two prominent Icelandic families, the Sturlungs and the Haukdælir.
In the realm of literature, Karys Björnsson (1874-1952) was an Icelandic poet and writer who gained recognition for his works that celebrated the natural beauty of Iceland and the resilience of its people.
It is worth noting that the name Karys was predominantly used in Scandinavian countries, particularly in Iceland and Norway, during the medieval and early modern periods. However, it fell out of widespread use in those regions by the 19th century.
While the name Karys is relatively rare today, it has experienced a modest resurgence in recent years, possibly due to a renewed interest in Nordic culture and tradition. Some parents may choose this name for their children as a way to honor their Scandinavian heritage or simply for its unique and descriptive meaning.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Karys over time
The chart below shows babies named Karys registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2017. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Karys, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2017, compared with 16 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karys by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Karys 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4497 | 36 | 7 |
| 2000s | #2108 | 110 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2022 | 33 | 4 |
Geography
Where Karys is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Karys. 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.
Karys ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #413 in 2007.
Across the UK
Karys in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#666 in 2017
14 years of NRS records, 69 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#413 in 2007
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Karys
- 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
Karys: questions and answers
How popular is the name Karys in the UK right now?
In 2017, Karys was ranked #5765 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Karys most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 16 babies registered as Karys in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Karys?
Karys is a feminine name of Greek origin meaning "eternal life" or "immortal existence".
How many people are called Karys in the UK?
A total of 179 babies have been registered as Karys across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 69 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Karys most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Karys ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #413 in 2007. 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.