Kari

From Norwegian Kari, diminutive of Katrine.

Kari

1. A female given name from Norwegian, of recent usage, equivalent to English Carrie or Cary.
2. (astronomy) A moon of Saturn.

Two possible origins:

• Borrowed from Finnish Kari, an ornamental surname from kari (“rock, skerry”).
• Borrowed from Marathi करी (karī), a surname of unexplained origin.

Kari (plural Karis)

1. A surname.

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Kari is the 41100^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 530 individuals. Kari is most common among White (80.38%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%) individuals.

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Kari”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 277.

• Arik, Irak, Kira, Rika, ikra, krai, raik, raki, rika

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑri/, [ˈkɑ̝ri]
• Rhymes: -ɑri
• Syllabification^(key): Ka‧ri

Karelian form of the Russian saint's name Макарий (Makarij), Макар (Makar), from Ancient Greek Μακάριος (Makários) meaning "happy", cognate to the English historical name Macarius. Also a short form of Sakari and Oskari.

Kari became known as a character in Juhani Aho's novel Panu (1897), at the time, like Panu and Jorma, mistaken for an ancient Finnish name.

Kari

1. a male given name
   • 1897, Juhani Aho, Panu, WSOY, published 1947, page 149:

     Ensi kerran, kun Kari Annikkia Panulta pyysi, sanoi Panu:—"Millä sinä, tyhjä mies, semmoisen tytön ostat?"

     When Kari first asked Annikki from Panu, Panu said:—"How will you, destitute man, buy such a girl?"

   • 1974, Alpo Ruuth, Kotimaa, Tammi, →ISBN, page 167:

     —Petri, se on näitä uusia nimiä.
     —Niin on, nykyisin annetaan semmoisia Jareja ja Kareja ja Petrejä.

     —Petri, that's one of those new names.
     —Indeed, nowadays people get named Jari and Kari and Petri.

   • 2013, Pauliina Rauhala, Taivaslaulu, Gummerus, →ISBN, pages 103–104:

     Miten meille voi tulla kaksi poikaa? Eihän niitä luontonimiäkään ole pojille enää jäljellä kuin Pyry, josta en tykkää kun se kuulostaa jyrinältä, ja Kari, josta varmasti seuraa epäonnea. Tai voihan niitä keksiä nykyään itsekin. Miten olisi Kuu ja Otava? Tai Heinä ja Pensas? Tai Puro ja Virta?

     How could we get two sons? There are no nature names remaining for us than Pyry, that I don't like because of its sound, and Kari, which could only bring misfortune. I suppose one could come up with new ones. How about Kuu and Otava? Or Heinä and Pensas? Or Puro and Virta?

• Popular in the 1950s and the 1960s. The most common first name of men born in Finland in 1954–1959.

• (surnames) Makkonen

• Kari is the 4^th most common male given name in Finland, belonging to 38,695 male individuals (and as a middle name to 4,600 more), and also belongs to 9 female individuals, according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

From kari. Possibly partially also from etymology 1.

Kari

1. a Finnish surname from landscape

• Kari is the 382^nd most common surname in Finland, belonging to 2,148 individuals, according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

• Irak, arki, raki

• (old orthography) Kare

Borrowed from Danish Christian.

Kari

1. a male given name from Danish

• Kajistiaat
• Kali
• Kalistat
• Kalistiaat

• Møller, Nuka: Kalaallit aqqi [Greenlandic personal names]. Oqaasileriffik 2015. →ISBN
• Danskernes navne 2005 — including the residents of Greenland.

Medieval contraction of Katrine (“Catherine”).

Kari

1. a female given name

• One of the most common given names in Norway since the 17th century.

• Kruken, Kristoffer - Stemshaug, Ola: Norsk personnamnleksikon. Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995. →ISBN
• Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk. 27 761 females with the given name Kari living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak in the 1940s. Accessed on April 18th, 2011.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaɾi/ [ˈka.ɾi]
• Rhymes: -aɾi
• Syllabification: Ka‧ri

Kari f

1. a diminutive of the female given name Karina