Meaning:
Its source is Katarina, a Scandinavian name meaning "Pure."
Languages:
This girl's name is used in English and Czech.
Popularity:
The name Karina ranked 155th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 780th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists of the 1990s, and has been trending upward in usage ever since.
Narrative:
This Danish variation of Katarina was introduced to America by Scandinavian settlers. It was adopted by Americans of all nationalities, reaching the zenith of its popularity in the middle of the twentieth century.
One commentator believes its popularity rose and fell with that of sound-alike names Sharon and Darren, citing the name's many alternate spellings as evidence of the popularity of the ''-ren'' sound.