Karns

Karns is a toponym and surname that commonly appears in the United States. The most widely known reference is Karns, Tennessee, an unincorporated community in Knox County located to the west of Knoxville. The area is part of the Knoxville metropolitan region and is characterized by a mix of residential neighborhoods and rural land. The community name is generally believed to derive from the Karns family, who were early settlers in the locality.

Education in the Karns area is represented by Karns High School, a secondary school within the Knox County Schools district. The school serves Karns and surrounding neighborhoods and offers a range of academic programs and extracurricular activities to its students.

As a surname, Karns is borne by individuals across various professions and regions. The name appears in historical records, genealogical sources, and contemporary contexts, sometimes appearing in variants such as Kern or Kerns in different lineages or spellings.

Other uses of the term Karns may appear in corporate names, organizations, or historical references. When encountered, the intended subject is usually clear from context, whether it refers to the place in Tennessee, the educational institution, or a person bearing the surname. Karns thus functions primarily as a geographic name associated with a community near Knoxville and as a family name carried by unrelated individuals across time.