Skip to content
MyNameRoots

Baby name

Catherine

Girl

Origin of the name

Catherine comes from the ancient Greek Aikaterinē, through the Latin Catherina. Its origin is obscure: it has been linked to hekateros, “each of the two,” or to the goddess Hecate. The h in the spelling comes from a popular association with katharos, “pure.” Saint Catherine of Alexandria made it popular.

Classic name

19561880190019251950197520002025
The high point came in 1956, with 12,056 births and the No. 28 spot that year. It has stood the test of time: births were recorded in 146 of the 146 years since 1880. Its rank in 2025: No. 313.
667,789births since 1880
1950sgeneration
No. 28rank at its peak, in 1956

Where babies named Catherine are born

1956

Loading the map…

Tap a state to see its figures.

The darker the blue, the more common Catherine is in the state, compared with its births. White: no births published that year.

Where it is most popular

Compared with the national average, Catherine is most common in District of Columbia (1.9 times), Massachusetts (1.8) and Delaware (1.7), taking into account all births in each state since 1910.

One letter apart

Names from the same era

Cynthia · Brenda · Debra · Diane · Deborah · Pamela

Born in…

Add your year to see.