Girl · Greek, through Latin
Katherine
Say it: KATH-er-in
Meaning
From Greek Aikaterinē, of unknown origin; the link with katharos 'pure' is a later reinterpretation that changed the spelling, not the source.
Disputedsharp disagreement, or a popular meaning that is not supported.
Popular in England from the 12th century with the crusader-borne cult of Saint Katherine of Alexandria.
Its wave through time
Timeless: in steady use for over a century
In the United States
- 643,993 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1887, about 1 in 184 girls
- 1,968 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Katharine, Catherine, Kateryn, Katrine
| French | Catherine |
|---|---|
| Italian | Caterina |
| German | Katharina |
| Irish | Caitríona |
| Welsh | Catrin |
Famous bearers
- Katherine of Aragon, queen of Henry VIII
- Katherine Parr, queen of Henry VIII
- Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- Royal and noble genealogies
- Parish baptism registers
- 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.