Girl · #7,691 in 2026

Cathryn

Cathryn is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katherine. Cathryn may refer to:Cathryn Bradshaw,, English actress Cathryn Carson, American historian of science Cathryn Damon (1930–1987), American actress Cathryn Hankla, American poet and novelist Cathryn Harrison, English actress Cathryn Humphris, American television writer Cathryn Mataga, game programmer who has worked on Neverwinter…

  • English
Current Rank
#7,691
Peak Rank
#451 (1956)
Total Babies
16K
5-Yr Trend
-51%
1882
First Year
2026
Last Year
1956
Peak Year
#451
Peak Rank
16K
Total Count
144
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Cathryn

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

Cathryn is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katherine. Cathryn may refer to:Cathryn Bradshaw,, English actress Cathryn Carson, American historian of science Cathryn Damon (1930–1987), American actress Cathryn Hankla, American poet and novelist Cathryn Harrison, English actress Cathryn Humphris, American television writer Cathryn Mataga, game programmer who has worked on Neverwinter…

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Cathryn

Cathryn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1882, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1956: 368 births, good for #485 nationwide. About 20% of every Cathryn on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Cathryn ranks #7,691 for baby girls with 13 births, falling sharply (-51%). All told, over 16K 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

Variants & Related Forms of Cathryn

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

Names that sound like Cathryn

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cathryn

What does the name Cathryn mean?
Cathryn is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katherine. Cathryn may refer to:Cathryn Bradshaw,, English actress Cathryn Carson, American historian of science Cathryn Damon (1930–1987), American actress Cathryn Hankla, American poet and novelist Cathryn Harrison, English actress Cathryn Humphris, American television writer Cathryn Mataga, game programmer who has worked on Neverwinter…
What is the origin of the name Cathryn?
Cathryn has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Cathryn in 2026?
In 2026, Cathryn ranks #7,691 among girls' names in the U.S., with 13 babies given the name that year.
When was Cathryn most popular?
Cathryn reached its peak popularity in 1956, ranking #451 that year with 368 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Cathryn most popular?
Cathryn has historically been most popular in Oregon, District of Columbia, Nebraska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Cathryn.
Is Cathryn a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Cathryn is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Cathryn?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cathryn include Orpha, Alpha, Melodie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Cathryn?
Common variants and related forms of Cathryn include Catharine, Catherin, Kae, Kaety, Kat, Kate. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Cathryn

Cathryn is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1882 and has accumulated 16K births in the dataset. Cathryn's peak popularity came in 1956 when it ranked #451. Use the chart and map above to compare Cathryn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

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.