Catherine
Greek Aikaterine, of obscure origin, later reshaped toward katharos “pure.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Catherine appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 121 different years between 1880 and 2001. Its biggest year was 1956, when 12,056 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 28 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1914, at No. 18. In 2025 it ranked No. 313 for girls. All told, 669,611 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Katherine (652,750), Kathryn (456,515), Katharine (41,241), Cathryn (16,332), Kathrine (15,775), Katheryn (15,220) (total births since 1880)
Explore Catherine interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 8,915 | No. 31 |
| 1890s | 14,502 | No. 36 |
| 1900s | 22,006 | No. 22 |
| 1910s | 65,823 | No. 18 |
| 1920s | 78,881 | No. 21 |
| 1930s | 50,027 | No. 35 |
| 1940s | 62,086 | No. 37 |
| 1950s | 108,839 | No. 28 |
| 1960s | 76,788 | No. 42 |
| 1970s | 43,864 | No. 59 |
| 1980s | 42,437 | No. 65 |
| 1990s | 40,763 | No. 71 |
| 2000s | 29,702 | No. 81 |
| 2010s | 17,154 | No. 161 |
| 2020s | 6,002 | No. 267 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.