Outnumbered - why is Karen named, "Karen"

[SheilaBirling]

Why does the character of Karen have this name? Her brothers and Jake and Ben, so shouldn't she be called something like Grace/Georgia/Lucy etc etc?

I always thought the name wasn’t ‘middle class’ enough for the family. Interesting the actress chose it.

No little Karen's were born in England in 2017 (according to ONS). My lovely sister Karen pointed this out. Gertrude also "died" last year too

Wat?!

I love the idea that she chose it herself, hope it’s true.

It’s a good idea too- the names almost unitentionally quirky- exactly the sort of name those parents would have chosen.

Yeah I have always wondered this. Karen's are in their 50s, like Nicola, Julie, Joanne, Angela, all my classmates at school in fact 😀

interesting if she chose it herself!

Aargh Karens sorry for autocorrect's aberrant apostrophe

So not only do I have to fret and worry about whether my kids have names that other people will approve of, now they've got to 'match' with other siblings names? Hell will freeze over . . .

Some of you worry about the oddest things.

It is a tv programme. It really doesn’t matter what she is called.

I have a Caron born in 2002. Haven't met another in her age group or younger. A different name, French, but sounds similar. I like both Karen and Caron

I think its really sweet that the parents are now a real couple
and they are still friends with all three of the kids

I loved that dd who is 14 had a Barry and Keith in her year at one point at high school, unfortunately they both left the school.

Longwayoff you don’t have to worry about whether your DC’s names are a plausible combination because you’re not fictional so if anyone says “that’s a bit unlikely” you can just show them the birth certificates.

Hmmm. We loved Outnumbered until DS started modelling himself on Ben and has run with it.

Obviously her mum didn't start a thread in baby names checking it went with Jake.

I am evidently lost: wouldn't have occurred to me ever that they weren't right together.

Oh good to finding others of the same mind. I always thought it was odd and didn't make sense with the relative popularity of the boys' names.

Mind you, my BF always wanted to call herself Mary which was rather unusual for the 80s and when I was little I loved the name Brian. I realised the other day that this was probably because I loved Brian Cant.

In terms of pairing names, my favourites are siblings called Anastasia and Kevin.

Am at a loss to understand what the issue is over her name.....?

Am at a loss to understand what the issue is over her name.....?

I find it helps to read the thread. Or even just the OP of the thread. Then you would know what its about. It's handy like that.

It’s just that the sort of parents who called their sons Ben and Jake in the 1990s would be unlikely to have called their daughter Karen. It’s the combination of two very common names for that date and class with one very unusual one that’s a bit of an eyebrow raiser. It’s as if they discussed their holidays each year and they went Tuscany, Provence, Benidorm. Or suppers were spag bol, pasta pesto and Vesta Curry.

It wouldn’t be a problem in real life because real life gets a pass on implausibility.

The le creuset episode? I don't remember that. What happened? (Saves me digging out the box set.)

Karen was very popular in my era. Not in the Outnumbered era. How hard is that to understand.

Are they real-life tubular?

If so - that is brilliant.

Schaden The perfect mummy next door brained her husband with a Le Creuset pan. She popped brownies in the oven at the same time...

Thanks derxa - it is flooding back now!