Girl · #4,910 in 2026

Katharine

Name: Popularity of the name Katharine in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Katharine, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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 one of the earliest Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.

Current Rank

#4,910

Peak Rank

#171 (1982)

Total Babies

41K

5-Yr Trend

-41%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1982

Peak Year

#171

Peak Rank

41K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Katharine

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

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

The Story of Katharine

Katharine first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 76 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 947 Katharines were born — ranking #261 that year. As of 2026, Katharine ranks #4,910 for baby girls with 27 births, falling sharply (-41%). In total, more than 41K Katharines have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Katharine

Phonetically similar names — useful when Katharine 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 Katharine

What does the name Katharine mean?

How popular is Katharine in 2026?

In 2026, Katharine ranks #4,910 among girls' names in the U.S., with 27 babies given the name that year.

When was Katharine most popular?

Katharine reached its peak popularity in 1982, ranking #171 that year with 947 babies given the name.

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

Katharine has historically been most popular in District of Columbia, Connecticut, New Hampshire. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Katharine.

Is Katharine a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Katharine?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Katharine include Phoebe, Cleo, Teri. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Katharine

Katharine is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 41K births in the dataset. Katharine's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #171. Use the chart and map above to compare Katharine'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.