Namewise

Karen vs Raewyn

Karen and Raewyncompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

  • New Zealand · Girls

    In 1971, Karen was ranked #6 and Raewyn #95 among girls in New Zealand.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 2016, Karen was ranked #1689 and Raewyn #5785 among girls in England and Wales.

Karen and Raewyn over time

Karen and Raewyn appear together in 1 published list, across 18 years of shared records. Karen held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Raewyn in 0.

In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.

Raewyn reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Karen in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

How this pair is related

The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Karen #1 in 1957, Raewyn #25 in 1955.

List by list

  • New Zealand · Girls18 shared years, 1954–1971

    Karen held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Raewyn in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Karen #1 in 1957, Raewyn #25 in 1955.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 1971: Karen #6, Raewyn #95.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Where to go next

Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.

Other comparisons involving Karen

Pairs where Karen shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other comparisons involving Raewyn

Pairs where Raewyn shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.

Other pairs with the same kind of relationship

Pairs that qualify under the same rule as this one — peaked in the same years.

All peaked in the same years→

Other pairs from New Zealand lists

Pairs measured inside New Zealand's own published lists, where this pair's strongest relationship is also recorded. Positions in these lists are not comparable with another registrar's.

New Zealand overview→

Other pairs ranked together in the 1970s

Pairs both ranked in the same published list at some point between 1970 and 1979.

The 1970s across all registrars→

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Karen, Raewyn
FieldKarenRaewyn
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables22
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageAU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZGB-ENW, NZ
Most recent popularity observationNorway · Girls #442 (2025)England and Wales · Girls #5785 (2016)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)94/10088/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/10060/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Karen and Raewyn both have 2 syllables.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NZ.

How each name got here

Karen

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #70 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1952–1986

    Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1963 (recorded 1952–1986).

    New South Wales, Australia · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #2440 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls

Raewyn

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1954

    First recorded at #30 among girls in New Zealand in 1954 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    New Zealand · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1954–1971

    Highest recorded position: #25 among girls in New Zealand, in 1955 (recorded 1954–1971).

    New Zealand · Girls

  3. Most recent1971

    Most recently recorded at #95 among girls in New Zealand, in 1971.

    New Zealand · Girls