Katherine
Katherine was the 186th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,670 babies. Its best year was 1991, when it ranked 25th; the most babies were born in 1990 (11,625). Over the last ten years it has moved down 102 places. More babies were named Katherine in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Greek
Say it KATH-er-in /ˈkæθərɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #186 girls, down 50 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,670girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199011,625 babies
- Total since 1880
- 652,750babies recorded
What does the name Katherine mean?
Katherine comes from the Greek Aikaterine, whose origin DMNES calls uncertain. DMNES stresses that it is unrelated to Greek katharos, 'pure', although it was later linked with that word, which led to Latin spellings with th. Saint Catherine, a 4th-century virgin martyr, became one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages, and DMNES lists many queens of the name. Wikipedia names her as Catherine of Alexandria. Kate, Katie, Kathy and Kay are common pet forms.
Αἰκατερίνη (Ancient Greek, “Aikaterine”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Origin of the Greek name uncertain.
Other explanations you may read: Means 'pure' (Greek katharos).
Related names: Catherine, Kathryn, Kate, Katie, Catalina, Karen, Kay.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Katherine', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Katherine', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Katherine
The usual nicknames for Katherine are Kate, Katie, Kathy, Kat, Kit, Kay and Kitty. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Katherine in the last five years, 37 were named Kate, against 28 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kate · also for Kathryn, Katelyn, Kathleen | Traditional | #522 | 3,241 |
| Katie · also for Kate, Kaitlyn, Kathryn | Traditional | #646 | 2,687 |
| Kathy · also for Kathryn, Kathleen | Traditional | #3,274 | 319 |
| Kat · also for Kathryn, Katrina | Modern | — | — |
| Kit · also for Christopher, Kathleen | Traditional | #1,127 | 803 |
| Kay · also for Kathleen | Traditional | #3,946 | 212 |
| Kitty | Traditional | — | 12 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Katherines go by each one.
Katherine popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,824 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #186 | 1,670 |
| 2020 | #136 | 1,991 |
| 2010 | #70 | 3,870 |
| 2000 | #33 | 8,109 |
| 1990 | #26 | 11,625 |
| 1980 | #35 | 8,017 |
| 1970 | #67 | 5,443 |
| 1960 | #81 | 5,876 |
| 1950 | #58 | 6,205 |
| 1940 | #92 | 2,709 |
| 1930 | #85 | 3,033 |
| 1920 | #45 | 5,276 |
| 1910 | #57 | 1,752 |
| 1900 | #65 | 1,201 |
| 1890 | #59 | 900 |
| 1880 | #53 | 502 |
How popular is Katherine, counting every spelling?
Katherine is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #116 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #186 for Katherine on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,730 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katherine | 1,670 | #186 | 8,684 |
| Catherine | 972 | #314 | 4,847 |
| Katheryn | 45 | #3,428 | 214 |
| Katherin | 34 | #4,222 | 187 |
| Katheryne | 9 | #10,495 | 38 |
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 Katherine?
1,670 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Katherine (0.46 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Katherine 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 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Katherine.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Katherine?
About 476,700 people born in the US named Katherine are alive today, with a median age of 40; half are between 28 and 58. That makes Katherine 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.
Katherine by state
How common Katherine was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.1×), Alabama (2.2×), Mississippi (2.1×), Kansas (1.7×), Kentucky (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Montana, Delaware, Rhode Island.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Katherine: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Katherine, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Katherine · Sibling names for Katherine
Questions about the name Katherine
What does Katherine mean?
The origin of Katherine is uncertain: Origin of the Greek name uncertain.
How popular is the name Katherine?
Katherine was the 186th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,670 babies. Its best year was 1991, when it ranked 25th; the most babies were born in 1990 (11,625). Over the last ten years it has moved down 102 places. More babies were named Katherine in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Katherine a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Katherine in the US.
Where is Katherine most popular?
In 2021–2025, Katherine was most common in District of Columbia (3.29 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and Mississippi.