Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Alternative names to Karen

133 replies

StarsieZ · 18/09/2022 04:25

My mum recently passed away, I had never thought of using her name to name any future daughters but the question came up the other day from a friend and it's made me question it. Alas, my mums name was 'Karen' and I am not going to name my child that even as a middle name.

Does anyone have any ideas as to names that are similar/nickname etc that I might use? My mum didn't have a middle name either so that's out too, I did think of 'Wren' but that's as far as I've got.

Thanks for any advice/ideas 😊

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
marblemad · 19/09/2022 03:52

Karys, Caria, Ryn, , Wren, Kara, Karina, Cariana

Mosso · 18/09/2022 21:06

Kara.

Original poster
StarsieZ · 18/09/2022 20:58

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who took the time to reply to my thread or offer suggestions, they are all much appreciated and I appreciate all the kind words and condolences xx

OP posts:
Maireas · 18/09/2022 18:55

katieatietwo · 18/09/2022 17:57

jemima (portugese)

Jemima is English too.

mistermagpie · 18/09/2022 18:18

I know someone who is in a similar situation (sorry about your mum) and she gave her child the middle name Karen but spelled differently. I think it's Caryn or something. That's one option. Alternatively, if it's just a middle name I'd go with Karen. Just because some dicks think it's funny to use that name as a joke should take away from the fact that there are thousands of lovely women, your mum included, called that.

katieatietwo · 18/09/2022 17:57

jemima (portugese)

NC12345665 · 18/09/2022 17:54

WildfellAnne · 18/09/2022 07:38

I think Karen is a lovely name. I would use it, or Katherine if you really feel you can’t. But I think it’s important to reclaim a perfectly nice name from ageist misogyny. Wren is particularly cringey, so not that.

🙄 what a shit thing to do to your child.

Aiaichipsnpie · 18/09/2022 17:53

corrine? I guess you could spell it Karrine? Or Karrie.

sageandbasil · 18/09/2022 17:52

Carrie?

sageandbasil · 18/09/2022 17:51

Just saw you said about wren I think that's lovely!

sageandbasil · 18/09/2022 17:51

The name karen means pure so maybe you can use that in some way? Sorry abouy your mum x

Luredbyapomegranate · 18/09/2022 17:31

I am very sorry for your loss

How about Karina? Carina is the more usual spelling but I know one who spells it with a K

Otherwise Karen is the Danish form of Katherine so I would go for that in some form - Catrin, Caitlin, Katrina, Catriona etc

Carey could also work

DogInATent · 18/09/2022 13:09

StarsieZ · 18/09/2022 07:24

Unfortunately not, it's definitely not a name I could use, even for a boy x

Show quote history

There's an old tradition, particularly in Scotland, of using maiden names of the maternal line as middle names for daughters. They're very rarely names that would normally be considered as given names. It remembers the lineage.

DD1 Name Mothers-Maiden Surname
DD2 Name Grandmothers-Maiden Surname

To use topical examples:
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Windsor
Margaret Cavendish-Bentinck Windsor

(tbh, it works better without double-barrelled maiden names)

Pemba · 18/09/2022 13:06

I forgot to say so sorry about your mum. It must be so hard for you. Flowers

So you say you have a first name picked out? I must have misunderstood, I thought before that you meant Wren for the first name, but did you mean Wren for the middle name /Karen substitute name? Because I don't think it works as a stand in for Karen, it's too different, and starts with a different sound and letter.

To be honest I'm not that fond of Wren as a name, and I think it's perhaps a short term fad.

Boxofsockss · 18/09/2022 13:01

Clara

Submarina · 18/09/2022 13:00

I think Karina is lovely too.

YouSoundLovely · 18/09/2022 12:55

I like Karina Pearl.
Also really like Katherine/Kathryn/Katharina.

ladygindiva · 18/09/2022 12:53

Keren is lovely I think. I know one about 17 yo

TabithaTittlemouse · 18/09/2022 12:52

I always think of the little girl in outnumbered when I hear Karen.

Adultchildofelderlyparents · 18/09/2022 12:49

Karen is such a lovely name! I know several who are lovely women (and one teenage), it's so ridiculous how people have picked on the name in that way, I think the phase will pass. Honestly, I'd use the name.

Submarina · 18/09/2022 12:44

The Germanic version of Karen is Karin. One letter difference only :)

Maireas · 18/09/2022 12:43

Sorry for your loss, 💐 it's tough.
How lovely to honour and commemorate your Mum, and how awful that her nice name has been used as an insult to women.
I agree that Karena or Karina would be nice.
I'm going to disagree with Wren - I think it's a very unattractive name, a silent W is a pain and it's a kitchen fitter.
Anyway, best of luck.

Mosso · 18/09/2022 12:40

Kara

FairyHannie · 18/09/2022 12:38

Kara
Renn

Original poster
StarsieZ · 18/09/2022 12:35

Poorbilliejean · 18/09/2022 12:30

So sorry for your loss. My mum passed away when I was 6 months pregnant, she also had cancer. She made me promise I wouldn’t use her name for the baby, it was a jokey conversation we had I also knew she meant it. I thought about honouring her somehow without using her name. Perhaps using her initial but having a different name. Perhaps using her nickname which was used by family as a middle name. In the end I decided not to as none of the names which fitted in the with them ideas I had really worked or were what I called her. I did only steer towards names which were ones I knew she liked. We didn’t find out what we were having and it’s one of my life regrets, I wish I’d have found out and told her and we’d chosen a name before she passed. Either way, don’t feel pressured. You’ll honour your mum in the best way for you.

Thank you for your message. I'm really sorry about your Mum too, it's so hard isn't it. I just don't know what to do and it's only been a couple of months; I wasn't expecting to fall pregnant so quickly (1st month trying and I'm 38) xx

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread