Kari

Kari has multiple independent origins across Scandinavian and Finnish traditions. As a feminine Norwegian name, it developed as a short form of Katarina, itself the Scandinavian form of Katherine, ultimately derived from the Greek name Aikaterine of uncertain meaning. As a masculine Finnish name, Kari is likewise a short form of names containing the element related to the Greek Gregorios or similar forms. The Old Norse masculine form Kári referred to the personification of the wind in Norse mythology, derived from a root meaning curly or with reference to swirling air. Related forms and variants include Katarina, Kaarina, and the Old Norse Kárr.