Kari
Girl name · #2080 in 2025 · Very rare
Kari is currently the #2080 girl name in the United States — 90 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1823, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 20,000 girls born in 2025 was named Kari.
Babies named Kari per year. Source: SSA.
The 91-year story
Kari first appears in the Social Security records in 1934, when 6 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1975, when 2,221 girls were named Kari — good for #129 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kari against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kari in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Kari is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Kari will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Kari is most common
State-level data for Kari is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Kari
Statistically, parents drawn to Kari tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Cori, Kami, Mari, Bobbi, and Keisha.
CoriKamiMariBobbiKeishaLizaToniKatrina
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kari | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 90 | #2076 |
| 2024 | 109 | #1840 |
| 2023 | 116 | #1762 |
| 2022 | 130 | #1621 |
| 2021 | 136 | #1544 |
| 2020 | 146 | #1468 |
| 2019 | 141 | #1528 |
| 2018 | 139 | #1554 |
| 2017 | 132 | #1636 |
| 2016 | 101 | #1972 |
| 2015 | 114 | #1823 |
| 2014 | 111 | #1830 |
| 2013 | 113 | #1807 |
| 2012 | 112 | #1807 |
| 2011 | 89 | #2143 |
| 2010 | 114 | #1794 |
| 2009 | 129 | #1710 |
| 2008 | 135 | #1657 |
| 2007 | 150 | #1530 |
| 2006 | 165 | #1381 |
| 2005 | 159 | #1362 |
| 2004 | 143 | #1436 |
| 2003 | 146 | #1375 |
| 2002 | 227 | #975 |
| 2001 | 253 | #897 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kari a popular girl name?
Kari ranked #2080 among girls in 2025 with 90 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1823.
When was the name Kari most popular?
Kari peaked in 1975, when 2,221 American girls received the name (ranked #129 that year). Since 1975 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Kari?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 20,000 newborn American girls was named Kari. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.