girl's name
Katrina
kuh-TREE-nuh
- Origin German
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 111,989
Northern Ireland
#561
2011 births
Katrina has no securely known meaning, because Catherine does not — the Greek original has never been derived, and the pure reading was attached centuries later by a false association. We record 106,704 lifetime births for it, strongest in the United States.
- Katrina is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 1980, when 3,415 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 39,944 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1895.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Katrina over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 11 |
| 1900s | 42 |
| 1910s | 148 |
| 1920s | 212 |
| 1930s | 298 |
| 1940s | 743 |
| 1950s | 3,812 |
| 1960s | 12,299 |
| 1970s | 24,363 |
| 1980s | 28,952 |
| 1990s | 18,424 |
| 2000s | 9,521 |
| 2010s | 2,198 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 708 |
What Katrina means
Katrina has no securely known meaning. It descends from Catherine, whose Greek original Aikaterine has never been derived, and the pure reading is a later attachment.
Where Katrina comes from
Katrina is a German and Scandinavian form of Katharina, from Catherine — whose Greek original Aikaterine has no established derivation despite centuries of attempts. The pure gloss came from medieval association with katharos, clean, and the spelling of Katharine was altered to match a meaning it never had, which is a rare case of an etymology changing a word rather than describing it. Saint Catherine of Alexandria's wheel gave the firework its name.
Katrina in use
Katrina peaked in the United States in 1980, when 3,415 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in four of the seven markets we track — 1347th in Canada, 2238th in the United States on 83 births, 2432nd in England and Wales on 12 and 7402nd in France — across 111,989 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1895.
How popular is Katrina?
In 2025, Katrina was given to 83 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Katrina 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 Katrina
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Katrina also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Katrina over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Katrina
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.
Katrina 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 Katrina
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Katrina — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Katrina
What does the name Katrina mean?
Not known. Catherine's Greek original has never been securely derived.
Does Catherine mean pure?
No. That came from a medieval association with katharos, and the spelling was altered to match.
Is the Catherine wheel related?
Yes — the firework is named for the wheel in Saint Catherine of Alexandria's legend.
How popular is Katrina?
2238th in the United States, down from a 1980 peak of 3,397 births.
Is Katrina a girl's or a boy's name?
Katrina is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Katrina?
Katrina has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Katrina?
Katrina is usually shortened to Kat and Trina.
Is Katrina a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Katrina currently ranks #1,347 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.