I was going to be Maureen, until my Mum read a book while she was expecting me about a baby, called Karen, born very prematurely, that still survived. She was inspired by the story and liked the name, so Karen I became.

I have always known plenty of Karen's, but it can't have been too common a name at the time, judging by my Dad's Mother's reaction of "Karen? What kind of a name is that?!"