Karn
A Hindu masculine name referring to the god of war and sun.
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the first name Karn. It is a predominantly female name (97.0% of registrations). The average person named Karn today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karn births was 1959 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Karn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
132
~ 1 in 2,596,624 Americans
Peak year
1959
14 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1994 SSA rank
#8,602
Tracked since 1947
Census
Karn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 404 people with the first name Karn, which placed it at #24,004 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#24,004
National first-name rank
People counted
404
404 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karn is White at 59.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.4%) and Black (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Karn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Karn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.9% · 242
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.4% · 131
- Black or African American4.2% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 7
- Two or more races1.7% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Karn
Karn leans heavily female at 97.0% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Karn as a male name
- Ranked #9,568 in 1994
- 5 male births in 1994
- Peak: 1994 (5 births)
Karn as a female name
- Ranked #8,602 in 1976
- 6 female births in 1976
- Peak: 1959 (14 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Karn on both sides of the split. Of the 405 people counted with this name, 151 were male (37.3%) and 254 were female (62.7%).
Popularity
Karn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karn from the 1940s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 70 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Karn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Karn
The name Karn is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian subcontinent. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Karna," which means "ear" or "one who listens attentively." The name is often associated with the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, where one of the central characters is named Karna.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karn can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Vedas, which date back to around 1500-500 BCE. In these sacred texts, the name is mentioned in various contexts, often referring to individuals who were known for their wisdom, courage, and devotion to the divine.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Karn or its variations. One of the most famous was Karna, a prominent figure in the Mahabharata, who was born to an unwed mother and raised by a charioteer. Despite his humble beginnings, Karna became a skilled warrior and played a pivotal role in the epic battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
Another historical figure with this name was Karn Singh (1915-2009), an Indian field marshal and the last surviving feudal ruler of the princely state of Bikaner in Rajasthan. He was known for his bravery and service during World War II, where he fought alongside the British Indian Army.
In the realm of sports, Karn Sharma (born 1987) is an Indian cricketer who has represented the national team in various formats, including Test matches, One Day Internationals, and T20 Internationals.
The name Karn has also been associated with several notable individuals in the field of literature and arts. Karn Naat (1956-2008) was a prominent Thai poet and playwright, known for his works that explored themes of love, loss, and societal issues.
Another noteworthy individual with this name was Karn Kalra (1923-1973), an Indian artist and sculptor who was renowned for his contributions to the modern art movement in India. His works often depicted themes from Hindu mythology and were characterized by their unique style and use of materials.
While the name Karn has its roots in ancient Sanskrit and Hindu traditions, it has transcended cultural boundaries and has been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds and regions around the world, each adding their own unique stories and contributions to the rich tapestry of this name's legacy.
People
Karn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,596,624 US residents.
Is Karn a common name?
We classify Karn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 169 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karn most popular?
The single biggest year for Karn was 1959, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karn is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Karn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 404 people with the name Karn, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,004 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Karn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Karn?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Karn on both sides of the split. Of the 405 people counted with this name, 151 were male (37.3%) and 254 were female (62.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Karn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Karn is White at 59.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.4%) and Black (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Karn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Karn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.9% (242 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Karn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Karn a female name?
Yes, 97.0% of people registered as Karn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Karn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Karn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Karn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Karn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.