Data Expert Uncovers Male Name For Karen, But It’s Up For Debate
Image via Shutterstock
Everyone, at some point of their lives, has met a Karen, even if her name isn’t Karen. She’s an intolerant, intolerable middle-aged woman who nitpicks and fluffs up her entitlement with the “let me speak to your manager” card. During the COVID-19 crisis, you can spot her in the wild with her full face on, as she often refuses to wear a mask.
These personality traits, however, aren’t exclusive to females. There’s a Tom, Dick or Harry out there who’d be the perfect match for Karen, but no one has settled on a name to fit this male stereotype.
Inspired to find Karen’s male counterpart, Dublin-based data scientist Nathan Cunn tracked 70 years of baby names to find male matches for Karen in the US and Ireland based on age, as well as similar popularities during Karen’s peak years.
The scientist shared his findings for the US male name on the r/dataisbeautiful subreddit, identifying it to be: Terry.
“Men named Terry tend to be of the same age as women named Karen,” he revealed in a visual showing that both Karen and Terry were most popular in the US in the late 1950s and shared a similar rate of decline over the years.
This alternative didn’t sit so well with commenters, many of whom know a Terry who isn’t mean nor racist. The world, after all, needs more Terry Crewses, Terry Pratchetts, and Terry Foxes.
Some, on the other hand, had reason to find the data especially eerie. “You ever have a day where Reddit appears to be talking directly to you? My parents are Karen and Terry,” one Redditor responded. “My cousin Karen married a guy named Terry,” another replied.
Cunn shared other discoveries in his blog post, such as how the name Karen only peaked in Ireland some 20 years after the US, making her a match for Declan, Gerard, or Paul.
Also, it turns out that if the Karen archetype hadn’t been so-called, she’d be either Brenda, Pamela, or Theresa in the US, or Anne, Margaret, or Mary in Ireland.
You can read the research in detail here.
I analysed 70 years of baby names in the US to decide what to call a male Karen. It's Terry. [OC] from
dataisbeautiful
Image via Nathan Cunn
[via BroBible, cover image via Shutterstock]
Also check out these recent news
