Name Kari Origin, meaning, pronunciation & popularity of the name Kari

Kari is a ♀ girl’s name and a ♂ boy’s name. Kari thus belongs to the gender-neutral unisex names.

What is the origin of the name Kari?

The girl’s name Kari is a Norwegian diminutive of Katharina or Karin. In Finnish, Kari is a short form of boy’s names ending in “-kari” e.g. Makari, and in Danish, Kari derived from the Old Norse masculine name Kári. In Switzerland, Kari is a diminutive of Karl and in Japanese ist is a short form of the unisex name Hikari.

What does the name Kari mean?

Deriving from Katharina and Karin, Kari means “pure”. In Finnish, Kari means “blessed” or “happy” and in Danish it means “curly-haired”. Besides, Kari means “free man” (from Karl) and “light” in Japanese.

Pronunciation of Kari