Kari is either a male or female
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
, or a
surname
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
.
Given name
In
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, Kari is a male name, which was particularly popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The name is derived from the Greek
Makarios Macarius is a Latinized form of the old Greek given name Makários (Μακάριος), meaning "happy, fortunate, blessed"; compare the Latin ''beatus'' and ''felix''. Ancient Greeks applied the epithet ''Makarios'' to the gods.
In other la ...
(or
Macarius Macarius is a Latinization (literature), Latinized form of the old Greek given name Makários (Μακάριος), meaning "happy, fortunate, blessed"; compare the Latin Beatus (disambiguation), ''beatus'' and Felix (name) , ''felix''. Ancient Gree ...
).
In
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, Kari is a female name. The name is diminutive of
Katherine
Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...
, meaning "pure". The corresponding Swedish and German name is
Karin.
In
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
and
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
, Kári is a male name, based on a
Scandinavian god of wind of the same name. The corresponding Norwegian male name is
Kåre.
Surname
Kari is a popular surname in
South India. In
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
the village of Karivari Palem is named after the surname; in the village Inkollu, Gangavaram almost 60% families have this surname and belongs to Kamma/Chowdary caste. Kari can also be spelt Kahri.
Kari is also a
Finnish surname, meaning a small island,
islet
An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...
, or an underwater rock. There are currently 2 173 holders of the name (2025).
Notable people named Kari
Females with the given name
*
Kari Aas (1886–1978), Norwegian teacher and Scout leader
*
Kari Anderson (born 1982), Scottish cricketer
*
Kari Bøge (born 1950), Norwegian author
*
Kari Bremnes (born 1956), Norwegian singer
*
Kari Byron (born 1974), American television host and artist
*
Kari Corbett (born 1984), Scottish actress
*
Kari Diesen (1914–1987), Norwegian singer and actress
*
Kari Dolan, American politician
*
Kari Dziedzic
Kari Dziedzic ( ; June 5, 1962 – December 27, 2024) was an American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 60, which includes portions of th ...
(1962–2024), American politician
*
Kari Faux (born 1992), American rapper and singer, born Kari Rose Johnson
*
Kari Aalvik Grimsbø (born 1985), Norwegian handball player
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Kari Jobe (born 1981), American singer
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Kari Kjønaas Kjos (born 1962), Norwegian politician
*
Kari Mette Johansen (born 1979), Norwegian handball player
*
Kari Ann Lake (born 1969), American politician and former television news anchor
*
Kari Matchett (born 1970), Canadian actress
*
Kari Nissena, American actress
*
Kari Ann Peniche (born 1984), American model
*
Kari Rueslåtten (born 1973), Norwegian singer
*
Kari Storækre (born 1950), Norwegian television personality
*
Kari Swenson (born 1962), American biathlete
*
Kari Sylwan (born 1940), Swedish actress, ballerina and choreographer
*
Kari Tauring (born 1966), American folk singer, author, and teacher
*
Kari Traa (born 1974), Norwegian skier
*
Kari Wahlgren
Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American voice actress who has provided English-language roles for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as List of FLCL characters#Haruko Haruhara, Haruko H ...
(born 1977), American voice actress
*
Kari Wuhrer (born 1967), American actress
Males with the given name
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Kari Arkivuo (born 1983), Finnish footballer
*
Kari Aronpuro (born 1940), Finnish poet
*
Kari Eloranta (born 1956), Finnish footballer and ice hockey player
*
Kari Enqvist (born 1954), Finnish physicist and writer
*
Kari Hotakainen (born 1957), Finnish writer
*
Kári P. Højgaard (born 1951), Faroese politician
*
Kari Häkämies (born 1956), Finnish politician
*
Kari Härkönen (born 1959), Finnish skier
*
Kari Jalonen (born 1960), Finnish ice hockey coach
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Kari Kairamo (1932–1988), former CEO of Nokia
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Kari Ketonen (born 1971), Finnish actor
*
Kari Korhonen (born 1973), Finnish cartoonist
*
Kari Korhonen (born 1943), Finnish mycologist
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Kari Kriikku (born 1960), Finnish clarinet player
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Kari Kuivalainen (born 1960), Finnish musician
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Kari Lehtola (1938–2019), Finnish major accident investigator
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Kari Lehtonen (born 1983), Finnish ice hockey goaltender
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Kari Makkonen (born 1955), Finnish ice hockey player
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Kari Mannerla (1930–2006), Finnish game designer
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Kari Mäkinen (born 1955), Archbishop of Turku
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Kari Peitsamo (born 1957), Finnish musician
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Kari Rajamäki (born 1948), Finnish politician
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Kari Ristanen (born 1958), Finnish skier
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Kári Stefánsson (born 1949), Icelandic founder of deCODE genetics
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Kari Suomalainen (1920–1999), Finnish cartoonist
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Kari Takko (born 1962), Finnish ice hockey goaltender
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Kari Tapio (1945–2010), Finnish singer
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Kari Tiainen (born 1966), Finnish motorcycle rider
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Kari S. Tikka (1944–2006), Finnish legal scholar
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Kari Turunen (born 1962), Finnish musician
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Kari Ukkonen (born 1961), Finnish footballer
*
Kari Uotila (1955), Finnish politician
*
Kari Väänänen (1953), Finnish actor and director
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Kari Ylianttila (1953), Finnish ski-jumper
People with the surname
*
Dagur Kári (born 1973), Icelandic filmmaker
*
Jarkko Kari (born 1964), Finnish mathematician
*
Martti J. Kari (1960–2023), Finnish military officer and academic
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Mika Kari (born 1967), Finnish politician
*
Sax Kari (born Isaac Toombs, 1920–2009), American R&B musician and promoter
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Tamla Kari (born 1988), British actress
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Tommi Kari (born 1986), Finnish footballer
People with the nickname
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Sundaram Karivardhan (1954–1995), Indian motor sports promoter
Fictional and mythological characters
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Kári, son of Fornjót, the personification of wind in Norse mythology
*
Kari Grandi, Finnish advertising character
*
Hikari "Kari" Kamiya, a character in ''Digimon'' media
*
Kari Nordmann, Norwegian placeholder name
*
Kari Sorjonen, main character in Bordertown, a Finnish crime drama TV series
See also
*
Cari (name)
*
Kali (name)
*
Karie (name)
*
Karli (name)
*
Karri (name)
References
{{given name, type=both
Finnish-language surnames
Finnish masculine given names
Masculine given names
Norwegian feminine given names
Feminine given names