People.com Celebrity Parents Baby Name Expert Breaks Down 'Karen' and Its New Association with 'Entitled White Privilege' PEOPLE spoke with Nameberry CEO Pamela Redmond about the name's rise in popularity among searches — but likely not for good reason By Jen Juneau Jen Juneau Twitter Jen Juneau is a digital news writer for PEOPLE. A '90s teen and horror film connoisseur, she started at the brand in 2016, after a decade of working as a technical writer and then moonlighting as a journalist beginning in 2013. Originally from New Orleans, Jen grew up both in NOLA and Florida and eventually attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando (still her home base!), where she earned a bachelor's in English/technical communication, with a minor in magazine journalism. People Editorial Guidelines and Kate Hogan Kate Hogan Instagram Twitter Kate Hogan is Director of Digital Specials and Features at PEOPLE. In her 14 years at the brand, she has covered everything from pets and babies to style and Sexiest Man Alive, interviewing celebrities including Céline Dion, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Evans. Currently, she oversees the creation of photo galleries that complement breaking news and major PEOPLE moments like The Beautiful Issue and 100 Reasons to Love America. She has offered expert celebrity commentary on Good Morning America and Access Hollywood. Before joining PEOPLE in 2008, Kate was an editorial assistant at Morris Visitor Publications. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication and resides outside of Chicago with her husband and three kids. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 6, 2020 03:11 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Group of baby girls. Photo: Getty Anyone who has been privy to social media as of late may have seen the rise of "Karen" memes — usually not presented in a positive light. The name has been used lately to describe women, usually white, in a position of what many would consider great privilege. Examples of "Karen"s include women asking to speak to a manager, losing their tempers when asked to wear a mask in public to help control the spread of coronavirus, seemingly exhibiting racism and more. One recent example is Amy Cooper, a white woman who called police on a Black bird watcher who had asked her to leash her dog in a section of New York City's Central Park in May. Cooper was promptly dubbed "Central Park Karen" by much of the Twitterverse and beyond. Speaking with PEOPLE, Nameberry co-founder and CEO Pamela Redmond says Karen "was heading straight downhill" even "before the name became associated with entitled white privilege," having peaked in 1965. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sleeping baby girl. Getty How Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's Kids Are Leading the Pack of 2020's Top Baby Names "That's exactly why the name has become shorthand for a middle-aged white woman — because it's one of the many names that are deeply associated with one age group," she explains. "Shirley is in her 80s, Jennifer is in her 40s and Harper is not yet 18. And Karen is perennially 55, even if she isn't." The Karen moniker may have a negative connotation by online opinion standards, but Redmond says that "according to our statistics, Karen is getting three times as much attention right now as it got at this time last year." "Usually on Nameberry, that attention translates to babies receiving the name, though in this case I am sure it's going in the opposite direction and Karen is going to become one of those names that no parent wants to give their child," she adds. RELATED VIDEO: Elon Musk Explains How to Pronounce Son X Æ A-12's Name, Says Grimes "Mostly Came Up" with the Idea Nameberry recently released their mid-year top baby names of 2020 — and while Karen is nowhere to be found on the list, two celebrity siblings' monikers seem to have had a big influence on new parents. Topping the list of 10 most popular names are Milo and Luna, which evoke the names of Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's son Miles Theodore, 2, and daughter Luna Simone, 4. "Miles" itself is on the list of top 100 names, too — and Theodore is also in the top 10. Other monikers in the top 10 for girls are Ophelia, Eleanor, Ava and Aurora, while the boys' list includes Asher, Levi, Silas and Atticus.