Katherine
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.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Katherine
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 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Katherine
Katherine first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 502 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1990: 11,627 births, good for #26 nationwide. As of 2026, Katherine ranks #188 for baby girls with 1,643 births, falling sharply (-28%). All told, over 653K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Katherine
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Katherine. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Katherine
Phonetically similar names — useful when Katherine 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 Katherine
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About the name Katherine
Katherine is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 653K births in the dataset. Katherine's peak popularity came in 1990 when it ranked #25. Use the chart and map above to compare Katherine's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1990 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.