Katharine
Katharine was the 4935th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 27 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 172nd; the most babies were born in 1982 (946). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,789 places. More babies were named Katharine in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kathryn) variant of Catherine (origin uncertain) · Greek, English
- Rank in 2025
- #4,935 girls, down 1,508 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 27girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1982946 babies
- Total since 1880
- 41,241babies recorded
What does the name Katharine mean?
Katharine is a spelling of Kathryn, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kathryn's meaning and origin.
Kathryn is an English spelling of Catherine, as Wiktionary notes. Catherine goes back to Greek Aikaterine. DMNES calls its origin uncertain and says it is unrelated to katharos, pure, though that link later shaped the th spelling. Wiktionary lists other proposals, including the goddess Hecate. The 4th-century martyr Catherine of Alexandria became an extremely popular medieval saint, according to DMNES. Kathryn has been used in the US since 1880.
Αἰκατερίνη (Ancient Greek, “Katherine (origin uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES: origin uncertain.
Other explanations you may read: Means 'pure' (Greek katharos). DMNES says the names are unrelated..
Related names: Catherine, Katherine, Kate, Katie, Kathy.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kathryn' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Catherine' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Katharine popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 11 since 1984.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,935 | 27 |
| 2020 | #3,427 | 45 |
| 2010 | #1,674 | 127 |
| 2000 | #669 | 362 |
| 1990 | #401 | 647 |
| 1980 | #397 | 572 |
| 1970 | #491 | 409 |
| 1960 | #562 | 304 |
| 1950 | #415 | 373 |
| 1940 | #544 | 160 |
| 1930 | #469 | 205 |
| 1920 | #351 | 349 |
| 1910 | #307 | 157 |
| 1900 | #273 | 141 |
| 1890 | #226 | 119 |
| 1880 | #172 | 76 |
How popular is Katharine, counting every spelling?
Katharine is a spelling of Kathryn, a name family that ranked #663 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,935 for Katharine on its own. Together these spellings went to 431 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathryn | 381 | #729 | 2,168 |
| Katharine | 27 | #4,935 | 162 |
| Kathrine | 15 | #7,312 | 84 |
| Cathryn | 8 | #11,135 | 83 |
| Kathryne | — | — | 27 |
| Catharine | — | — | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Katharine?
27 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Katharine (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Katharine born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 310 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Katharine.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Katharine?
About 28,100 people born in the US named Katharine are alive today, with a median age of 43; half are between 33 and 58. That makes Katharine mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Katharine by state
How common Katharine was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Katharine: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Katharine, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Katharine
What does Katharine mean?
Katharine is a spelling of Kathryn, usually explained as “variant of Catherine (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Katharine?
Katharine was the 4935th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 27 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 172nd; the most babies were born in 1982 (946). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,789 places. More babies were named Katharine in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Katharine a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Katharine in the US.
Where is Katharine most popular?
In 2021–2025, Katharine was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 girls).