Find out how popular the last name Karin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Karin.

Karin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Karin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Karin in America

Karin is the 99845th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Karin surname appeared 181 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Karin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Karin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Karin

The surname Karin has its origins in Sweden and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "kárr," which means "curly-haired." The name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with curly hair.

Historically, the surname Karin was primarily found in the regions of Uppland and Västmanland in central Sweden. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the medieval Swedish church registers, such as the one for Västerås Cathedral, which dates back to the 13th century.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Karin was Olof Karin, a Swedish farmer and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several documents related to land disputes and transactions in the Uppland region.

In the 16th century, the name Karin gained prominence with the birth of Lasse Karin (1525-1592), a Swedish clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Strängnäs. He played a significant role in the reformation of the Swedish church and was known for his efforts in promoting education and publishing religious literature.

Another prominent figure with the surname Karin was Nils Karin (1670-1737), a Swedish merchant and ship owner who amassed considerable wealth through his trading ventures. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes between Sweden and the Baltic region, and his name is associated with several notable business transactions recorded in the archives of Stockholm.

During the 18th century, the Karin family produced several notable military figures, including Carl Gustaf Karin (1705-1778), a Swedish army officer who served in the King's Life Guards and participated in the Pomeranian War and the Seven Years' War.

In the 19th century, the name Karin gained literary recognition with the birth of Ida Karin (1838-1903), a Swedish novelist and poet. Her works focused on themes of social injustice and the struggles of women in the late 19th century. Her novel "En fattig skolmästares memoarer" (Memoirs of a Poor Schoolmaster) is considered a classic in Swedish literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Karin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Karin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Karin was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Karin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Karin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Karin, please contact us.

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