The name 'Karen' is becoming increasingly unpopular amongst new parents. Photo: 123RF
The year was 1963.
The Beatles were at the top of the music charts. Robert Menzies was the prime minister of Australia. And in Queensland, Karen was the most popular name for baby girls.
A grand total of 537 babies called Karen were officially registered in Queensland in 1963.
The most popular name for boys that same year was David, with 874 babies bestowed the moniker by their parents - the equivalent of 16 Davids every week.
Both names would stay popular in Queensland for well over a decade, with David ranking as a top ten name even into the late 1980s.
But fast forward 60 years to 2023, David is slowly disappearing. Only 37 babies were named David last year.
As for the name Karen, the once mighty moniker is basically extinct. Not a single infant was named Karen in 2023.
While David and Karen have gone by the wayside, names like Oliver and Isla are rising in popularity.
'I think we've had our day'
Karen Phillips from the Gold Coast is among the thousands of Karens born in Queensland since 1963.
The corporate communications specialist can recall many Karens when she was growing up.
"There were absolutely lots of Karens," Phillips says.
"I'd always be surprised at how many Karens there were at birthday parties, how many there were at the school fete, how many there were at the athletics carnival."
According to records dating back to 1960, Karen was at the peak of its popularity in Queensland in 1965 when 639 baby girls were given the name.
Other top girl names 60 years ago included Susan, Jennifer, Sharon and Julie.
By the 1980s, many of these female names began to fall out of favour and plummet in popularity.
Ever since 1998, there have been fewer than six Karens born in Queensland each year.
New data obtained by ABC Radio Brisbane revealed none were born in 2002, 2016, and 2023.
Ms Phillips says she is disappointed her name is fading into history.
"I cannot believe that there was not one Karen somewhere in Queensland born last year," she says.
"I'd like to support the Karens of the world and say it could become a middle name or become popular again, but I think we've had our day."
The influences of names
Phillips says her parents drew inspiration for her name from an actress called Karen.
According to Mark McCrindle, a social researcher with McCrindle Research, baby names follow trends just like fashion and food.
"It's the context of what we grow up with and what we hear," he says.
"We find for most people it was family names. It was names that they've had parents or extended family be given, names that they've grown up with, names that they hear on TV."
McCrindle says there is now a "freshness" to the names parents are giving their children.
"They're not names that we all grew up with," he says.
"They're looking either what's contemporary in terms of [it being] fresh or they're going for what we call the 100-year return.
"They're going back in time [asking] what was a great-grandma name? What was a historical family name in [the] family tree?"
He says influencers, sporting celebrities and movie stars often inspire many modern-day naming trends.
"Interestingly, the royals have also been quite an influence over the years," McCrindle says.
ACT party MP Karen Chhour. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Boys' names stay in fashion for longer
When David was the top male baby name in Queensland in 1963, it was followed by Peter, Mark, Michael and John (in order).
All five of those names stayed in the top 100 until 1999 - much longer than the top five girl names from 1963.
Michael even remains somewhat popular today - ranked at number 80 for boys in 2023.
McCrindle says names given to boys tend to stay in vogue for longer.
"For boys, we tend to look back to tradition," he says.
"That means that boys' names will last a bit longer, [whereas] girls' names are driven by a little bit more of the fads."
'L' and 'R' names are popular
Emeritus professor of applied language studies at the University of Queensland, Roly Sussex, points out that many of the most popular names in recent times have the letters 'l' or 'r' in them.
He says 'l' and 'r' sounds are called "liquids" by linguists.
"They are famous for being found in words which roll nicely off the tongue," Sussex says.
"You obviously want your kids to have a name that feels nice when you say it."
The number one names for boys and girls in Queensland in 2023 - Oliver and Isla - fit within this category.
As do many top names from last year, including Charlotte, Amelia, Olivia and Henry.
One-year-old Isla Freeman from Brisbane was among the 285 baby girls called Isla in Queensland last year.
Her parents, Jamie and Michael, got engaged on the Scottish isle of Islay, which inspired the name.
"We tossed and turned a bit over a few names, but then when we put Isla forward, it just worked out well," Michael Freeman says.
"We're both really pleased with it, and it obviously means a lot more to us. I had no idea it was going to be as popular as what it is."
Karen's 'unfair' fall from grace
The name Karen has attracted negative attention in recent years.
The name has been used to describe women who supposedly complain a lot or have a sense of entitlement.
A 2019 ABC Everyday article described a Karen as someone who likes to be in charge.
Sussex says the name has fallen out of favour and it will be at least another generation before it makes a comeback.
"Karen has fallen from grace and it is absolutely unfair to all of the marvellous people called Karen who are already alive," he says.
"It's desperately unhappy."
'Bring the Karens back'
Karen Phillips says she did not like her name when she was growing up, but now thinks it is a great moniker.
She says the way the name was viewed in recent years concerned her for a while.
"I wasn't allowed to get cranky about anything," she says.
"I have to say if I'm in a really groovy, young coffee shop, I always say my name is Kaz. It softens the blow."
As for Isla - the newly crowned number one name for girls in Queensland - Phillips is a fan.
"I love Isla. May she live long and prosper," she says.
"But, you know, bring the Karens back."
- ABC News
