Kathryn
Kathryn is a feminine given name and comes from the Greek meaning for 'pure'. It is a variant of Katherine. It may refer to:
- English
Meaning & Origin of Kathryn
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kathryn is a feminine given name and comes from the Greek meaning for 'pure'. It is a variant of Katherine. It may refer to:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Kathryn
Kathryn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 204 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1952: 8,504 births, good for #48 nationwide. As of 2026, Kathryn ranks #797 for baby girls with 349 births, falling sharply (-37%). All told, over 456K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Kathryn
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Kathryn. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Kathryn
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kathryn 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 Kathryn
What does the name Kathryn mean?
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How popular is Kathryn in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Kathryn most popular?
Is Kathryn a unisex name?
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What are nicknames or variants of Kathryn?
About the name Kathryn
Kathryn is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 456K births in the dataset. Kathryn's peak popularity came in 1952 when it ranked #45. Use the chart and map above to compare Kathryn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1952 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- 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.