Kathryn
Greek Aikaterine, of obscure origin, later reshaped toward katharos “pure.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Kathryn appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 104 different years between 1881 and 2001. Its biggest year was 1952, when 8,504 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 48 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1951, at No. 45. In 2025 it ranked No. 729 for girls. All told, 456,515 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Catherine (669,611), Katherine (652,750), Katharine (41,241), Cathryn (16,332), Kathrine (15,775), Katheryn (15,220) (total births since 1880)
Explore Kathryn interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,276 | No. 86 |
| 1890s | 5,653 | No. 87 |
| 1900s | 8,333 | No. 74 |
| 1910s | 29,235 | No. 60 |
| 1920s | 33,791 | No. 64 |
| 1930s | 22,583 | No. 101 |
| 1940s | 44,581 | No. 52 |
| 1950s | 77,803 | No. 45 |
| 1960s | 44,864 | No. 82 |
| 1970s | 36,434 | No. 50 |
| 1980s | 62,443 | No. 48 |
| 1990s | 47,179 | No. 57 |
| 2000s | 26,307 | No. 89 |
| 2010s | 10,199 | No. 230 |
| 2020s | 2,742 | No. 525 |
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.