Given name & surname
Karena
“one who is pure; virginal”
Karena is a variant of Karen. In Greek use, Karen carries the interpretation “one who is pure; virginal.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Karena is a variant of Karen. In Greek use, Karen carries the interpretation “one who is pure; virginal.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1946. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Karena through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,508
- 0 boys · 3,508 girls
- Most popular year
- 1974
- 114 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #7,307 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −51%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 15 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 7,307 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 51.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 114 in 1974. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,292 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Karena’s family of names
Karena has a related form in Karen. In English usage, Karena has a conventional equivalent in the German form Carina. In Greek usage, Karena as a surname is a transliteration of Καρένα.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Karena
- Karena LamTaiwanese-Canadian actress and singer (born 1978)
- Karena EvansCanadian director and actressborn 1995
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Karena, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kina
“woman of China”
>99% girls
Carmelita
“garden” · “of the fruitful orchard”
>99% girls
Corinna
“a spear-wielding woman”
>99% girls
Katrina
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Karima
“one who is generous and noble”
>99% girls
Cari
“from the river” · “from the fort on the hill”
18% boys · 82% girls
Karri
“a joyous song; a small, strong woman” · “of the wind”
6% boys · 94% girls
Sakinah
“a beloved friend” · “having God-inspired peace of mind”
>99% girls