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Karlena
How to Pronounce Karlena
Pronounced kar-LEE-nuh /kɑːrˈliː.nə/Low
Meaning: Karlena joins Karla to Lena. Karla is the feminine of the German Karl, 'free man,' while Lena is a short form of Helena or Magdalena. The result reads as 'little Karla' or simply a smooth pairing of two familiar elements.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Karlena is an American blend of Karla and Lena. Karla is the feminine of Karl, from a Germanic word for 'free man,' and Lena is a pet form of Helena or Magdalena. The name belongs to the mid-to-late-twentieth-century habit of building fresh girls' names from familiar parts, and it stayed rare throughout.
It was never common, given to only about fifteen girls a year even at its peak around 1983. A girl named Karlena then is in her early forties today.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Karlena mean?
It is a blend of Karla, feminine of Karl ('free man'), with Lena, a short form of Helena.
How do you pronounce Karlena?
It is said kar-LEE-nuh /kɑːrˈliː.nə/ - three syllables, stress on the second.
Is Karlena a boy or girl name?
Karlena is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Karlena?
It was always rare in the United States, given to only about fifteen girls a year even at its peak in the nineteen-eighties.