Gen Z Just Decided Which Name Will Replace "Karen" And Millennials Are Not Thrilled

Step aside, Karen. Gen Z has officially moved on, and the internet is already lining up its next “messy behavior” name like it’s a seasonal lineup.

After months of comment-section debates, people settled on Jessica as the supposed replacement, using a naming-trend logic that goes back to Karen being a top girls’ name in the 1960s in both the UK and the US, then Jessica popping up as a hit in the 1980s and 90s, right when Millennials were being born. One TikToker even called it, showing charts and insisting Jessica, not Jennifer, would “mess you up,” because the nickname Jess somehow equals instant confrontation.

And now the real twist, women named Jessica are not exactly thrilled to be handed a new stereotype.

Step aside, Karen. Gen Z has picked a new name for calling out messy middle-aged behavior

Shutterstock / F8 Studio

That TikToker’s “Jess is gonna fight somebody” prediction is what kicked the whole thing into overdrive, right alongside the chart flex for Jessica, Lisa, and Jennifer.

Well, after much debate online with suggestions such as Jennifer, Ashley, Lisa, and Amanda, the name was ultimately decided as the Karen successor is... Jessica!

The selection follows a logical pattern based on naming trends. The two names share a similar trend: Karen was the third- and fourth-most popular girls' name in both the UK and the US back in the 1960s, and, two to three decades later, Jessica was a popular name in the 1980s and 90s when Millennials were born.

This conversation has circulated online periodically over recent years as people wondered which name would inherit this unfortunate distinction. TikToker @wouldyakindly predicted that Jessica would be chosen, as she showed the US baby name charts with Jessica, along with Lisa and Jennifer being popular in the decades after the 60s.

This TikToker predicted right

Then the comment section started treating name history like a personality test, even though the whole thing is basically cultural vibes, not science.

Also, Gen Z’s naming wars feel like the same kind of rumor storm as Alex Honnold denying a rumored $500,000 Netflix payout for Taipei 101.

The backlash got louder when Jess Blanc posted her reaction, wondering whether she should feel “flattered” or “offended,” because apparently she got drafted into the Karen successor sweepstakes.

"I'm guessing it is going to be Jessica because I don't know.. I feel like Jen seems nice, if she goes by Jennifer, probably not that nice. Jessica will mess you up, Jess is gonna fight somebody if she gets angry," the creator said.

The commentary adds personality traits to the name beyond just demographics, suggesting that "Jessica" carries connotations of confrontational behavior when angered. It's important to note that this is obviously a generalization based on cultural perception rather than any real correlation between names and personalities.

Many people named "Jessica" have come out to express their displeasure at this new development

@jessicamfinn / TikTok

And just like that, the “who’s next” game stopped being theoretical and turned into a very public argument between Gen Z’s pick and the real Jesses living with it.

Unsurprisingly, women who actually bear the name Jessica have taken to social media to voice their objections. Their reactions range from confusion to outright rejection of the label being thrust upon them.

"I don't know whether to feel flattered about this or offended," one woman named Jess Blanc said in a video shared earlier this week. "Who was in charge of this voting system? I know it's a popular name, but like... I feel like Ashley should be a contender."

"It has come to my unfortunate knowledge that the children of Gen Z have given Jessicas the title of 'Karen,' said someone else named Jessica Finn in a recent TikTok. "I'm gonna put this to rest, it definitely isn't Jessica. Being a Jessica, we're minding our business, we're probably judging from afar, but we're not going to get involved because we know better... Fighting with someone isn't for us."

Despite these protests from actual Jessicas defending their collective reputation, social media users have not backed down. The name appears to have stuck in Gen Z's collective consciousness, regardless of whether those who carry it agree with the assessment.

The internet chose Jessica, but the Jesses themselves are making it clear they did not vote for this.

For more sibling drama, see how Hugo lost 11 pounds while Ross gained.