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Original poster

Outnumbered - why is Karen named, "Karen"

138 replies

SheilaBirling · 11/08/2018 20:14

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?

OP posts:
kazzin · 11/08/2018 22:26

KM99, I'm younger than you, I'm a mid 80s Karen. I love my name, never considered it to be old fashioned at all. There was another Karen in my year at school.

GertrudeCB · 11/08/2018 22:28

Gertrude also "died" last year too Shock

GrandTheftWalrus · 11/08/2018 22:32

I know 2 Karen's. One is 31 and one is 42.

MorrisZapp · 11/08/2018 22:36

Us Karen's can't get a break! We're a twitter meme too. Apparently we're miserable faced, petty and self important.

I care not! I have a Scandinavian surname so Karen is perfect. If I had a daughter I'd love her to be a Karen :)

hackmum · 11/08/2018 22:37

Glad someone's explained that it's because the children chose their own names. I have always wondered exactly this, OP - you'd expect her to be an Olivia, or a Charlotte, or an Emily.

MeMyselfand · 11/08/2018 22:42

Because Karen is the bestest coolest name in the whole wide world 😎

Housewife2010 · 11/08/2018 22:43

Sibling names don't always fit. I know a family with a Henry, Annabel and Darcey. I never thought that Darcey went with the other two traditional sloaney names.

sandyoh · 11/08/2018 22:46

I love Karen (the name) as it means a lot to me. Alas we were destined to have males so Karen and Morvern were my one in a million sperm girl choices.

TellMeItsNotTrue · 11/08/2018 22:54

Love this programme but not given the names a second thought Confused

It would make sense to get the kids to choose because they would find it easier to remember/react to, especially as the actress who played Karen wasn't actually an actress before outnumbered, one of the production team saw her at their nephew/niece(?) birthday party and just thought she was perfect so spoke to the parents

I know a few families who haven't really chosen names that match, normally because they always imagined having a little girl called Karen or a little boy called Jake or whatever, but didn't have a name picked out for the other gender so when discussing names it's more likely that more modern ones will be top of the list

OrlandaFuriosa · 11/08/2018 22:55

On a slightly different tack, what’s your favourite Karen moment? I think mine is her appreciation of Van Gogh:

“ it’s all squiggly. He should have event over it.”

Beats any art critic.. Grin

needmorespace · 11/08/2018 22:55

to go back to Karen being a variant of Kathryn - I think Karen is the Danish version of Kathryn/Katherine?

OrlandaFuriosa · 11/08/2018 22:56

*went

huggybear · 11/08/2018 23:08

I agree Karen is a dated name, but I never would have thought it was a 'lesser class'... Is it?! Ben and Jake are both classless names too aren't they?!!

parkermoppy · 11/08/2018 23:42

I met a toddler called Alan recently which is so cute. So many names making a come back!

Magicbugkiller · 11/08/2018 23:46

More important question:

Why do they have. £2000 fridge?

Original poster
SheilaBirling · 12/08/2018 08:13

Thank you for those who have helped cleared this up (and also those who have also wondered about it). OrlandaFuriosa - I like the episode you mentioned (also, "Rembrandt - not enough cats") but I think Karen's finest moments came from when she was "chief bridesmaid" in series 2.

OP posts:
wheezing · 12/08/2018 08:16

I think I’m going to have to watch some Outnumbered now!

I get a bit distracted watching it trying to figure it out if at the time they bought the house (late 90s? Or maybe after Karen was born so early 00s?) whether it would have been at all plausible for a teacher (and we know he’s not year head or head of history!) and a part time WFH admin assistant to buy an end of Terrace wherever it is they live, somewhere on the district line south west London (so potentially quite an expensive area).

glintandglide · 12/08/2018 08:21

Surprised at the view that Ben is aspirational or middle class. IME there are
Always a few scattered everywhere across all spheres. The current bens in my life are a baby (parents are accountants though) and my builder currently demolishing the kitchen (yes at 8.21 Sunday- ben is a bastard)

Broken11Girl · 12/08/2018 08:44

I'm mid 30s and would assume a Karen was at least a little older, but not my parents' generation, so born in the 60s-70s.
Had no idea they let the kids choose their own names, lovely.
Outnumbered was great. The kids are young adults now, how time flies. Tyler Drew Honey (Jake) has presented various yoof 'documentaries' on BBC3.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 12/08/2018 08:52

Karen's finest moments are when she is acting out various TV shows with her teddies: Hell's Kitchen and The X Factor, I think!

I always feel slightly sorry for Tyger Drew Honey - to grow up with parents who act in porn must be challenging for any youngster.

Lydiaatthebarre · 12/08/2018 08:54

I always found that name choice odd until I read that the actress chose it herself. I don't know any Karens under about 40. It's a name I'd put in the same bracket as Michelle or Yvonne.

HollowTalk · 12/08/2018 08:58

Does anyone remember the episode when the mum went onto Mumsnet to ask for advice?

bastardkitty · 12/08/2018 08:59

I had always wondered about this!

katiefromtheblock · 12/08/2018 09:03

I don't think it's weird at all.

katiefromtheblock · 12/08/2018 09:04

I know several families with a Courtney, a Tilly, and a Rachel, and a Lorraine. Or a Paige, a Lexie, and a Jennifer. Or a Poppy, a Georgia, and a Susan. All born in the mid 1990's and early noughties. Sometimes people just like 'older' names, and not the new modern and popular, or yoo-neek names.