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Karin as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Karin

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The baby name Karin is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˈkærɪn/ or /ˈkɑːrɪn/ (KA-rin); Swedish: /ˈkɑːrɪn/; Japanese: /kaɾin/ (kah-REEN).

Karin is Dutch, German, Japanese, Scandinavian in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Dutch, German, Japanese, Scandinavian
Pronunciation: English: /ˈkærɪn/ or /ˈkɑːrɪn/ (KA-rin); Swedish: /ˈkɑːrɪn/; Japanese: /kaɾin/ (kah-REEN)

What is the meaning of the name Karin ?

The baby name Karin is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˈkærɪn/ or /ˈkɑːrɪn/ (KA-rin); Swedish: /ˈkɑːrɪn/; Japanese: /kaɾin/ (kah-REEN).

Karin is Dutch, German, Japanese, Scandinavian in Origin.

Karin is a Scandinavian and German form of Katherine/Katarina, ultimately from Greek Aikaterine. Though the exact etymology is debated, it is widely associated with katharos, “pure,” and owes much of its spread to the medieval cult of Saint Catherine. In Sweden and Finland (Swedish-speaking), Karin has been documented since early modern records and ranked among staple names through the mid‑20th century; it likewise saw strong midcentury use in Germany and the Netherlands, and entered English use as a lean alternative to Karen.

Variants and related forms include Carin (Swedish), Karen/Caren, Karyn, Karine (French/Armenian), and the elaborations Karina/Carina; diminutives such as Kari occur in the Nordics. In Central and South‑Slavic areas (e.g., Czech, Slovenian, Croatian), Karin functions as an independent given name. In Japanese, Karin is unrelated to Katherine and written with various kanji - commonly 花梨 “quince/flowering pear” - so meanings vary by spelling. A crisp, international choice with traditional roots.

Karin has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Karin

Karin Dor Actor · Born 1938 · Germany Karin Dor was a German actress best known internationally for playing Bond girl Helga Brandt in You Only Live Twice. She also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Topaz and was born as Kätherose Derr.

Karin – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2000 #1 — 591
Austria Girls 0 #5 5,884 1,885
NL Girls 0 #5 12,553 5,933
EE 0 #18 20 1,051
NL 0 #19 875 2,481
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
Germany Girls 0 #25 12,362 4,949
NA 0 #29 5 2,537
Austria 0 #31 398 850
EE Girls 0 #39 125 1,888
DK Girls 0 #46 979 7,429
Austria Girls 1992 #47 196 59
MO 0 #52 1 2,706
LU 0 #54 13 2,830
SI 0 #59 21 1,612
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
IL Girls 0 #66 1,948 11,648
LU Girls 0 #66 143 4,850
JP 0 #73 5 4,057
CN 0 #84 3 3,857
Germany 0 #87 735 2,542
ID Girls 0 #88 11 3,319
DK 0 #90 145 5,198
IL 0 #95 252 6,291
TW 0 #98 6 4,523
SI Girls 0 #101 81 2,769
CZ Girls 0 #104 600 5,378
PS 0 #104 120 5,692
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
BN Girls 0 #112 3 5,459
OM 0 #119 3 6,215
EC 0 #121 1 2,502
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
PS Girls 0 #121 854 10,981
Norway Girls 2025 #122 5 453
CY Girls 0 #122 4 3,755
PA 0 #130 9 3,797
CZ 0 #131 61 3,154
IQ 0 #132 2 3,533
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
NA Girls 0 #137 89 7,146
RS Girls 0 #137 1 1,651
Sweden Girls 2022 #139 41 1,568
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
ZA 0 #143 346 14,421
MT Girls 0 #146 8 3,773
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
JP Girls 0 #152 99 6,592
CR 0 #157 9 5,526
PR Girls 0 #161 7 3,171
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
IR Girls 0 #174 604 8,334
HR 0 #176 6 2,081
UY 0 #176 7 2,477
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
AE 0 #180 8 10,220
IR 0 #180 50 4,221
AR 0 #191 3 2,915
CL 0 #198 274 6,867
LT Girls 0 #200 1 1,904
HU Girls 0 #208 16 3,308
CL Girls 0 #209 1,956 14,098
PE Girls 0 #211 2,241 14,861
PL 0 #211 2 2,600
Finland Girls 0 #212 236 1,368
ZA Girls 0 #213 2,848 25,928
PE 0 #214 98 6,350
GR Girls 0 #218 25 6,293
BG Girls 0 #228 4 3,559
EC Girls 0 #230 10 3,650
Finland Girls 2026 #234 1,633 3,895
MO Girls 0 #237 15 7,056
TW Girls 0 #237 40 8,139
SG 0 #239 31 11,010
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
HR Girls 0 #242 48 3,687
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
GT Girls 0 #246 322 7,500
PT 0 #247 4 4,161
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
HR Boys 0 #258 2 3,997
Finland 0 #268 40 830
GT 0 #269 46 5,948
KZ Boys 0 #295 2 6,578
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #304 2 6,530
QA Girls 0 #304 13 15,378
BR 0 #308 38 5,969
SA 0 #310 3 10,560
Canada Girls 2013 #311 6 2,792
KZ Girls 0 #311 10 5,862
CN Girls 0 #317 33 8,829
France Boys 1973 #319 3 1,285
HK 0 #319 30 8,483
MY 0 #321 10 12,352
PL Girls 0 #323 32 5,096
DK Boys 0 #330 3 7,401
GH Girls 0 #331 7 6,973
MU Girls 0 #332 20 8,539
JO Girls 0 #333 7 7,570
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
BO 0 #354 28 6,868
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
OM Girls 0 #371 26 15,987
PT Boys 0 #379 3 7,951
IQ Girls 0 #381 124 11,303
EG 0 #386 15 6,387
JO Boys 0 #386 4 7,057
PA Girls 0 #389 94 9,861
MX 0 #390 24 8,339
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
BD Girls 0 #399 8 8,413
France Girls 2008 #404 3 3,186
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
IT Girls 0 #409 2,585 9,415
UY Boys 0 #410 4 5,922
PT Girls 0 #412 40 7,952
Spain 0 #418 35 2,326
SG Girls 0 #419 170 18,916
PH Girls 0 #421 9 13,098
Austria Boys 0 #429 14 2,180
CO 0 #431 50 7,768
PA Boys 0 #434 48 9,305
UY Girls 0 #444 67 6,731
RU Girls 0 #462 37 11,913
BO Girls 0 #463 154 9,488
HK Girls 0 #463 153 16,104
SD Boys 0 #466 1 10,523
CR Girls 0 #468 65 11,342
IT 0 #471 261 4,183
AR Boys 0 #476 8 7,628
AR Girls 0 #488 112 8,289
AE Girls 0 #495 59 20,968
KW Girls 0 #496 20 19,177
GT Boys 0 #497 3 7,625
CR Boys 0 #506 5 10,188
RU Boys 0 #520 7 12,621
CM Girls 0 #527 14 11,671
BH 0 #544 10 17,937
PS Boys 0 #555 7 10,655
HK Boys 0 #556 2 12,905
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
IR Boys 0 #559 7 10,162
BR Girls 0 #564 447 12,708
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
BO Boys 0 #583 10 9,244
LB 0 #593 66 13,263
IL Boys 0 #594 14 10,983
CL Boys 0 #598 68 13,390
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
IQ Boys 0 #631 37 13,071
EG Girls 0 #641 340 14,742
IN Girls 0 #648 7 13,121
SY 0 #669 60 11,684
CO Girls 0 #681 455 16,140
Spain Girls 0 #694 304 5,561
SG Boys 0 #735 5 17,960
QA Boys 0 #738 6 18,093
NG Girls 0 #774 13 15,093
BR Boys 0 #778 8 12,213
MX Boys 0 #795 191 16,355
KW Boys 0 #799 8 18,755
TN 0 #802 28 13,765
PE Boys 0 #825 54 14,506
SA Girls 0 #843 93 25,931
CO Boys 0 #846 75 15,656
EG Boys 0 #857 30 15,035
United States Boys 2024 #885 8 7,044
MY Girls 0 #888 107 24,821
Spain Boys 0 #889 42 5,610
United States Girls 2024 #904 13 8,487
Germany Boys 0 #912 41 5,697
OM Boys 0 #912 7 17,948
NL Boys 0 #925 27 5,873
MA 0 #973 156 20,986
NG Boys 0 #998 4 16,906
IN Boys 0 #1,032 8 16,750
MX Girls 0 #1,045 139 17,781
TR 0 #1,049 163 19,440
AE Boys 0 #1,080 13 22,615
DZ 0 #1,086 91 20,130
MY Boys 0 #1,089 23 25,439
ZA Boys 0 #1,166 13 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,451 21 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,563 52 28,008

Karin is popular in 82 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
France
Sweden
United States
Scotland, United Kingdom

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Karin

Karin is predominantly a girl's name.
Karin is a 2 syllable name, pronounced English: /ˈkærɪn/ or /ˈkɑːrɪn/ (KA-rin); Swedish: /ˈkɑːrɪn/; Japanese: /kaɾin/ (kah-REEN).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Karen, Carin, Karyn, Karine, Katrin and Karina.
Yes, very popular — Karin ranked #1 in Ireland in 2000, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Karin ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2000).
Karin's popularity is rising. It moved from #125 in 2015 to #122 in 2025 in Norway.
Yes — 1 notable people named Karin are in our database, including Karin Dor (Actor).