Catherine

Catherine: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “pure”
Origin: Greek
Say it: KATH-rin · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Standard English and French form of Katherine. The name's history is complex, but it has long been associated with Greek katharos 'pure'.

English names French names Names meaning pure Classic names Royal names International names

How popular is Catherine?

2024287 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Catherine in 2024955

2024 rank#320 girls

Peak year1909

Total US babies since 1880668,624

Catherine is fading: recent use is about 59% of its level ten years before.

Names like Catherine

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Catalinapure · Spanish
Katherinepure · Greek
Karenpure · Danish
Katiepure · English
Kathrynpure · Greek
Katepure · Greek
Caitlinpure · Irish
Katerinapure · Greek

Catherine questions

What does the name Catherine mean?

Catherine means "pure". It comes from Greek. Standard English and French form of Katherine. The name's history is complex, but it has long been associated with Greek katharos 'pure'.

Is Catherine a boy or girl name?

Catherine is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Catherine?

955 US babies were named Catherine in 2024. Its peak year was 1909.

How do you pronounce Catherine?

Catherine is usually pronounced KATH-rin.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.