411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Kari
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
Appendix:Variations of "kari"
English
+ (name)
Pronunciation
en /ˈkɑː.ɹi/ /ˈkæ.ɹi/
en LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Kari.wav Southern England
Etymology 1
From en no Kari, diminutive of no Katrine.
Proper noun
en female Swedish Carrie,Cary recent.
en astronomy A moon of Saturn.
Etymology 2
Two possible origins:
Borrowed from en fi Kari, an ornamental surname from fi kari rock, skerry.
Borrowed from en mr करी, a surname of unexplained origin.
Proper noun
s
en.
Statistics
According to the 2010 United States Census, Kari is the 41100th 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.
Further reading
Anagrams
en aikr kira raik rika Rika Arik krai ikra Irak Kira raki
en diminutives of female given names surnames from Finnish surnames from Marathi
Finnish
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
fi given name
fi krl - form of the fi ru - saint's name ru Макарий, ru Макар, from fi grc Μακάριος meaning "happy", cognate to the English historical name en Macarius. Also a short form of fi Sakari and fi Oskari.
fi Kari became known as a character in Juhani Aho's novel Panu (1897), at the time, like fi Panu and fi Jorma, mistaken for an ancient Finnish name.
Proper noun
fi male
fi 1897 w:Juhani Aho Panu 149 WSOY 1947 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?"
fi 1974 w:fi:Alpo Ruuth Kotimaa Tammi 9513030156 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.
fi 2013 Pauliina Rauhala Taivaslaulu 103–104 Gummerus 9789512091287 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?
Usage notes
Popular in the 1950s and the 1960s. The most common first name of men born in Finland in 1954–1959.
Declension
Kar a
Related terms
surnames fi Makkonen
Statistics
dvv_20250813 37102 4536 5 8
Etymology 2
fi surname
Mostly from fi kari through place names. Possibly partially also from fi Kari given name (etymology 1).
Proper noun
fi Finnish landscape
Declension
Kar a
Derived terms
fi Karila Karinen
Statistics
dvv_20250813 2111 383
References
Anagrams
fi aikr Irak arki raki
Greenlandic
Alternative forms
old orthography kl Kare
Etymology
Borrowed from kl da Christian.
Proper noun
kl proper noun
kl male Danish
Related terms
kl Kajistiaat
kl Kali
kl Kalistat
kl Kalistiaat
References
Møller, Nuka: Kalaallit aqqi [Greenlandic personal names]. Oqaasileriffik 2015. 978-87-990324-3-3
Danskernes navne 2005 — including the residents of Greenland.
Norwegian
Etymology
Medieval contraction of no Katrine Catherine.
Proper noun
no female
Usage notes
One of the most common given names in Norway since the 17th century.
References
Kruken, Kristoffer - Stemshaug, Ola: Norsk personnamnleksikon. Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995. 82-521-4483-7
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.
Spanish
Pronunciation
Proper noun
f
es female Karina