Girl · Greek, through Swedish
Kaarina
Say it: KAH-ri-nah
Meaning
The Finnish form of Katarina (Catherine). The origin is unknown; the link to Greek katharos 'pure' is a later folk etymology.
Disputedsharp disagreement, or a popular meaning that is not supported.
Used in Finland since the Middle Ages through the cult of Saint Catherine.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 29 babies given this name since 1977
- At its height in 2019, about 1 in 238,600 girls
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Kaarin
| Swedish | Karin |
|---|---|
| Swedish | Katarina |
| English | Catherine |
Famous bearers
- Karin Månsdotter, queen of Sweden, known in Finland as Kaarina Maununtytär
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Calendars of saints and name days
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.