Kari is a Scandinavian short form of Karin and Katarina, so it carries the meaning of Katherine, "pure"; in America it is also used as a spelling of Carrie or Kerry. It was especially popular in the 1970s and 1980s. In the United States Kari ranked number 783 in 2000, left the top 1000 shortly afterward and stands at number 2087 among girls' names in 2025.