girl's name
Katherine
KATH-rin
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 684,127
the United States
#187
2025 births
Katherine is a girl's name whose meaning is not settled. It is universally given as "pure," from the Greek katharos — but that reading is a later Christian reinterpretation of an older name whose true origin is lost.
- Katherine is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1990, when 11,657 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,985 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Katherine over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 6,927 |
| 1890s | 9,413 |
| 1900s | 12,139 |
| 1910s | 36,965 |
| 1920s | 42,911 |
| 1930s | 25,332 |
| 1940s | 40,042 |
| 1950s | 67,002 |
| 1960s | 50,775 |
| 1970s | 54,251 |
| 1980s | 99,625 |
| 1990s | 97,053 |
| 2000s | 65,475 |
| 2010s | 34,165 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,675 |
What Katherine means
Katherine is conventionally read as pure. The Greek katharos does mean pure, but the connection appears to have been imposed on a name that already existed and whose original sense is unrecoverable.
Where Katherine comes from
Katherine descends from the Greek Aikaterine, whose derivation has never been established — it may relate to Hekate, or to a pre-Greek word entirely. Early Christian writers connected it to katharos, pure, and respelled it Katharina to make the link explicit, which is why every reference work now gives pure as the meaning. It is a reinterpretation rather than an etymology. Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose legend gave the Catherine wheel its name, made it one of the most-used names in medieval Europe, producing Katherine, Catherine, Kathryn, Catriona, Karen, Kate and Kitty.
Katherine in use
Our data shows Katherine falling, peaking in 1990, and it first appears in our records in 1880 and has never dropped out. With Kate, Katie, Kitty, Karen and Catherine, it heads one of the largest name families on this site — and one where the meaning everyone knows is the least secure part of the entry.
How popular is Katherine?
In 2025, Katherine was given to 1,670 babies in the United States, ranking #187 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Katherine is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Katherine
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Katherine also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Katherine over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
12 nicknames for Katherine
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Katherine in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Katherine
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Katherine — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Katherine
What does the name Katherine mean?
Conventionally "pure," from the Greek katharos — but that is a later Christian reinterpretation of a name whose origin is genuinely unknown.
What is the difference between Katherine and Catherine?
Only spelling. The K form follows the Greek, the C form the Latin.
Why is it called a Catherine wheel?
After Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose legend has her condemned to death on a spiked wheel.
How popular is the name Katherine?
In 2025, Katherine was given to 1,670 babies in the United States, ranking #187 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Katherine a girl's or a boy's name?
Katherine is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Katherine?
Katherine has 3 syllables.
When was Katherine most popular?
Katherine peaked in 1990, when 11,657 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Katherine?
Katherine is usually shortened to Kate, Katie, Kitty, Kay, Kathy and Cathy.
Is Katherine a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Katherine currently ranks #187 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.