Gender
Origin
- Greek
- Pure, Innocent
Pure, innocent; Katherine is a traditional name for women. It has variations in many languages and has been used since the third century A.D. Early Latin forms Katerina and Caterina evolved into Katharine, Katherine, Catharine and Catherine. Katherine is also a royal name: in England, it was borne by the formidable and popular Katherine of Aragon (1485–1536), first wife of Henry VIII, as well as by the wives of Henry V and Charles II.
Syllables
3
Themes
- Shakespearean
Alternate Spellings and Variants of Katharine
Pronunciation
k(a)-thari-ne, kath(a)-rine
Famous People
Actress Katharine Hepburn, Actress Katharine Ross
Celebrity Babies
Daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Popularity in the USA
- Boys: peak in 1984 (rank #5554, 6 births); most recent 1985 (rank #6518, 5 births)
- Girls: peak in 1982 (rank #260, 950 births); most recent 2025 (rank #4878, 27 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 27 |
| 2024 | – | 28 |
| 2023 | – | 34 |
| 2022 | – | 42 |
| 2021 | – | 31 |
| 2020 | – | 45 |
| 2019 | – | 66 |
| 2018 | – | 56 |
| 2017 | – | 73 |
| 2016 | – | 62 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in the USA (2025)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), national baby names data (public domain). This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SSA. Data years: 1880 to 2025. Original data
Popularity in England and Wales
- Girls: peak in 1997 (rank #258, 152 births); most recent 2023 (rank #4709, 4 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | – |
| 2024 | – |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2021 | – |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2016 | 7 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in England and Wales (2025)
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Baby names in England and Wales. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1996 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in France
- Girls: peak in 1971 (rank #2024, 3 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2023 | – |
| 2022 | – |
| 2021 | – |
| 2020 | – |
| 2019 | – |
| 2018 | – |
| 2017 | – |
| 2016 | – |
| 2015 | – |
| 2014 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in France (2023)
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (last updated 8 July 2024), used under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0. Changes: names are shown in title case, and spellings that differ only by accents are counted together. Data years: 1900 to 2023. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Ireland
- Girls: peak in 1985 (rank #386, 6 births); most recent 2012 (rank #907, 3 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | – |
| 2024 | – |
| 2023 | – |
| 2022 | – |
| 2021 | – |
| 2020 | – |
| 2019 | – |
| 2018 | – |
| 2017 | – |
| 2016 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Ireland (2025)
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland, Irish Babies' Names (tables VSA50 and VSA60), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes: spellings that differ only by accents (for example Rian and Rían) are counted together. Data years: 1964 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Scotland
- Girls: peak in 1987 (rank #178, 27 births); most recent 2007 (rank #552, 5 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | – |
| 2024 | – |
| 2023 | – |
| 2022 | – |
| 2021 | – |
| 2020 | – |
| 2019 | – |
| 2018 | – |
| 2017 | – |
| 2016 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Scotland (2025)
Source: National Records of Scotland (NRS), Babies' First Names. © Crown copyright. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1974 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Northern Ireland
- Girls: peak in 2000 (rank #282, 4 births); most recent 2004 (rank #372, 3 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2025 | – |
| 2024 | – |
| 2023 | – |
| 2022 | – |
| 2021 | – |
| 2020 | – |
| 2019 | – |
| 2018 | – |
| 2017 | – |
| 2016 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Northern Ireland (2025)
Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Baby Names. © Crown copyright. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1997 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in British Columbia (Canada)
- Girls: peak in 1986 (rank #198, 17 births); most recent 2007 (rank #466, 7 births)
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2023 | – |
| 2022 | – |
| 2021 | – |
| 2020 | – |
| 2019 | – |
| 2018 | – |
| 2017 | – |
| 2016 | – |
| 2015 | – |
| 2014 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in British Columbia (Canada) (2023)
Source: British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, Most popular baby names for the past 100 years. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia. Changes: names are shown in title case. Data years: 1924 to 2023. Original data · Licence