From Greek 'charis' meaning grace, kindness, or beauty; related to the three Charites (Graces).
Karis is a variant form of Charis, rooted in the ancient Greek charis meaning grace, favor, or gratitude — the same root that gives English the words charity, charisma, and the Eucharist. In Greek mythology the Charites, known in Latin as the Gratiae or Graces, were the three goddesses of charm, beauty, and creativity — Aglaea (splendor), Euphrosyne (joy), and Thalia (blooming) — who attended Aphrodite and embodied the gifts that make life beautiful. Charis also appears in Homer's Iliad as the wife of Hephaestus, a figure of divine grace married to the god of the forge.
The name thus carries one of antiquity's most luminous meanings. The Welsh form Carys — meaning love in Welsh, from the verb caru — is a separate but phonetically similar name that has enjoyed a significant revival in Wales since the latter half of the twentieth century and has spread into English usage more broadly. The Karis spelling blends these traditions, combining the Greek charis etymology with a visual distinctiveness that sets it apart from both Charis and Carys.
The name gained celebrity visibility through Karis Jagger, the daughter of Mick Jagger and singer Marsha Hunt, born in 1970 — one of the first high-profile bearers of this precise spelling. Today Karis occupies a pleasing middle ground: it is recognizable enough not to require constant explanation, yet uncommon enough to feel genuinely individual. Its soft sound — two syllables, opening with a hard K and closing on a gentle hiss — gives it a timeless quality that neither dates it to a specific decade nor ties it to a specific culture, making it widely accessible while retaining its classical Greek depth.