Given name & surname

Karna

“one who is pure; virginal”

Karna is a variant of Karen. In Greek use, Karen carries the interpretation “one who is pure; virginal.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

Karna 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 1930. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Karna through the years

Babies since 1880
529
6 boys · 523 girls
Most popular year
1970
30 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
—
Too few births to compare
Boys Girls
0510152019401960198020002025Highest share 1970Boys 0.0Girls 0.0
Karna in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1930–2025, per million births of each sex. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2000. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,047 as a first name in 2020; 403 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Karna’s family of names

In English usage, Karna shares an earlier linguistic root with Karan. Karna has a related form in Karen. In Swedish usage, Karna has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Karina.

Walk Karna’s family in the name graph

KarnaCarnaΚαρνάKarenKarinaKaran

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Karna has relatives in 4 languages.

Swedish

4 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 1

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Spellings & scripts 2

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Across languages 2

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

See also 5

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

People named Karna

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Karna, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Greek · Mythological

Corinna

“a spear-wielding woman”

28RareEasing

>99% girls

English · Royal

Candy

“a queen” · “one who is white and glowing”

26RareEasing

>99% girls

 

Cami

“crooked nose”

28RareRising

>99% girls

Hebrew

Kiva

“protected by God”

21RareRising

5% boys · 95% girls

Mythological

Deena

Deena is a feminine given name.

25RareEasing

>99% girls

 

Kelli

“a lively and bright-headed woman” · “a warrior”

21RareCooling

>99% girls

Ancient Greek · Royal

Katrina

“one who is pure; virginal”

37RareEasing

>99% girls

 

Jeanna

“God is gracious”

22RareEasing

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Karna’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Karna

A sister for Karna