ESC 

Name Rank Total 

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1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1956

Peak Year

#18

Peak Rank

669K

Total Count

147

Years Active

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## Meaning & Origin of Catherine

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 

Katherine, also spelled Catherine and other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with the early Christian saint Catherine of Alexandria.

Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine)

### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

* French
* English

[![Wikipedia thumbnail for Catherine](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Katherine_Heigl_at_27_Dresses_Premiere_13.jpg/330px-Katherine_Heigl_at_27_Dresses_Premiere_13.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=thumbnail)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine)

📖

## The Story of Catherine

Catherine first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 688 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1956: 12,057 births, good for #28 nationwide. As of 2026, Catherine ranks #347 for baby girls with 886 births, falling sharply (-29%). All told, over 669K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

## Popularity Over Time

## Popularity by State

ME

WA

MT

ND

MN

WI

MI

NY

VT

NH

MA

OR

ID

SD

IA

IL

IN

OH

PA

NJ

CT

RI

CA

NV

WY

NE

MO

KY

WV

VA

MD

DE

DC

UT

CO

KS

AR

TN

NC

SC

AK

AZ

NM

OK

LA

MS

AL

GA

HI

TX

FL

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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## Variants & Related Forms of Catherine

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Catherine. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* Cat
* [Cate](/cate)
* [Catherina](/catherina)
* [Cathie](/cathie)
* [Cathy](/cathy)
* Kaety
* [Kat](/kat)
* [Kate](/kate)
* [Katee](/katee)
* [Katey](/katey)
* [Katharine](/katharine)
* [Katherina](/katherina)
* [Katherine](/katherine)
* [Kathi](/kathi)
* [Kathie](/kathie)
* [Kathy](/kathy)
* [Katie](/katie)
* [Katy](/katy)
* [Kay](/kay)
* [Kit](/kit)
* [Kittie](/kittie)
* [Kitty](/kitty)

🎶

## Names that sound like Catherine

Phonetically similar names — useful when Catherine is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. 

* [Katherine](/katherine)
* [Kathryn](/kathryn)
* [Katharine](/katharine)
* [Catharine](/catharine)
* [Cathryn](/cathryn)
* [Katheryn](/katheryn)
* [Catherin](/catherin)
* [Catheryn](/catheryn)
* [Cathrine](/cathrine)
* [Kathrine](/kathrine)
* Cothran
* Cothren

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. 

❓

## Frequently Asked Questions about Catherine

What does the name Catherine mean?

Katherine, also spelled Catherine and other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with the early Christian saint Catherine of Alexandria.

What is the origin of the name Catherine?

Catherine has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: French, English.

How popular is Catherine in 2026?

In 2026, Catherine ranks #347 among girls' names in the U.S., with 886 babies given the name that year.

When was Catherine most popular?

Catherine reached its peak popularity in 1956, ranking #18 that year with 12,057 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Catherine most popular?

Catherine has historically been most popular in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Catherine.

Is Catherine a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Catherine is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Catherine?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Catherine include Teresa, Hazel, Tina. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Catherine?

Common variants and related forms of Catherine include Cat, Cate, Catherina, Cathie, Cathy, Kaety. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

## Similar Names

[👧TeresaPeak #18](/teresa)[👧HazelPeak #18](/hazel)[👧TinaPeak #18](/tina)[👧JamiePeak #18](/jamie)[👧ErinPeak #18](/erin)[👧LouisePeak #17](/louise)[👧LoisPeak #17](/lois)[👧CourtneyPeak #17](/courtney)

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## About the name Catherine 

Catherine is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 669K births in the dataset. Catherine's peak popularity came in 1956 when it ranked #18\. Use the chart and map above to compare Catherine's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 1956 → ](/year/1956)
* [ Names of the 1950s → ](/decade/1950s)
* [ Names starting with "C" → ](/letter/c)
* [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
* Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides. 

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