Baby Name Popularity Profile

Catherine

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for Catherine.

✦ Pure 🌍 Greek Traditional Royal
National Rank (2025) #314
All-Time Peak Rank #18 Achieved 1914
Total U.S. Births 667,789 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 0.0% Boy / 100.0% Girl Female Archetype
First Recorded 1880 Data through: 2025
Peak Decade 1950s 12,056 births in 1956
πŸ’‘ The Catherine Vibe: Considered a Perennial Favorite. A historic staple that has maintained dominant national popularity for over half a century.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning Pure
Language Origin Greek
Origin Type single
Derived from the Greek name Aikaterine, of uncertain original meaning, but later associated with the Greek word *katharos* (pure) and the Latin *catharus*.
Common Nicknames
Cat Cate Cathy Katie
Alternative Spellings
Katherine Katharine Kathryn Katheryn
Pronunciation: KATH-Ι™-rin
Themes & Categories
Etymology confidence: High

πŸ“Š Popularity Over Time (1880 – 2025)

Annual registration volume (number of births) for Catherine across 146 years of SSA data.

Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
18801920196020002025
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020–2025) -15.8%
10-Year Trend (2015–2025) -46.2%
2015: 1,807 births 1,807 2016: 1,669 births 2017: 1,584 births 2018: 1,507 births 2019: 1,312 births 2020: 1,155 births 1,155 2021: 1,005 births 2022: 981 births 2023: 933 births 2024: 956 births 2025: 972 births 972
2015 2020 2025

πŸ“ˆ Popularity Milestones

Busiest Year on Record 12,056 births in 1956
Years in Top 100 121 yrs
Years in Top 500 146 yrs
Longest Streak 146 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 8,915
1890s: 14,502
1900s: 22,006
1910s: 65,823
1920s: 78,881
1930s: 50,027
1940s: 62,086
1950s: 108,839
1960s: 76,788
1970s: 43,864
1980s: 42,437
1990s: 40,763
2000s: 29,702
2010s: 17,154
2020s: 6,002

πŸ“ Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Cat-he-rine
Letter Count 9 letters
Spelling Complexity Complex
Length Percentile Longer than 92.2% of names
Linguistic Profile: Longer than 92.2% of SSA names. Starts with C, a letter used by only 5.7% of SSA names.

πŸ› οΈ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

Enter a surname or sibling name to test how it pairs with Catherine.

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ Sibling Name Suggestions

πŸ‘¦ Brother Suggestions
Kenneth Stephen Steven Paul Frederick Stevenson Frederico Lawrence Terrence Fredrick
πŸ‘§ Sister Suggestions
Gwendolyn Diana Margarita Jacquelyn Gwyndolyn Kathaleen Thomasine Jeannetta Micheline Georganne

πŸ“ Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State District of Columbia
Top States District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York
States with Data 51
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
District of Columbia #97 5,433 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Massachusetts #249 27,131 1920 11.5% Decline
Delaware Unranked 2,190 1917 Insufficient historical volume
Pennsylvania #246 56,931 1917 Stable
New York #381 79,230 1918 29.7% Decline
Rhode Island Unranked 3,747 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Maryland #285 15,416 1920 Insufficient historical volume
New Jersey #313 27,457 1918 25.7% Decline
Connecticut #226 10,643 1960 Insufficient historical volume
Vermont Unranked 1,454 1915 Insufficient historical volume
New Hampshire Unranked 2,461 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Virginia #240 17,324 1956 20.9% Decline
Maine Unranked 3,332 1956 Insufficient historical volume
South Carolina #271 10,398 1921 Insufficient historical volume
Illinois #365 33,809 1956 37.8% Decline
Louisiana #303 11,878 1953 60.5% Decline
Alabama #156 11,154 1926 6.7% Decline
Michigan #443 22,892 1956 Insufficient historical volume
Montana Unranked 1,828 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Wisconsin #487 11,778 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Ohio #358 26,912 1956 13.9% Decline
Alaska Unranked 808 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Mississippi #251 7,354 1951 Insufficient historical volume
Minnesota #430 10,659 1956 Insufficient historical volume
North Carolina #183 16,546 1953 +9.4% Growth
Wyoming Unranked 771 1952 Insufficient historical volume
Georgia #353 15,893 1955 27.9% Decline
Missouri #487 12,597 1954 Insufficient historical volume
Nebraska #350 3,922 1956 Insufficient historical volume
West Virginia #238 4,852 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Hawaii Unranked 1,586 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Indiana #307 11,945 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Iowa #401 6,585 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Kentucky #176 8,196 1920 Insufficient historical volume
Colorado #258 5,612 1956 Insufficient historical volume
North Dakota Unranked 1,591 1915 Insufficient historical volume
Kansas #294 4,876 1952 Insufficient historical volume
Florida #406 15,348 1958 29.2% Decline
Washington #369 7,176 1951 Insufficient historical volume
California #372 43,605 1956 39.7% Decline
South Dakota Unranked 1,452 1952 Insufficient historical volume
Oregon #569 3,794 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Arkansas #436 4,510 1925 Insufficient historical volume
New Mexico Unranked 2,211 1956 Insufficient historical volume
Tennessee #287 8,270 1953 12.9% Decline
Idaho #361 1,343 1951 Insufficient historical volume
Oklahoma #559 4,433 1955 Insufficient historical volume
Texas #290 24,867 1956 11.1% Decline
Arizona #395 3,916 1958 Insufficient historical volume
Nevada Unranked 1,008 1965 Insufficient historical volume
Utah #552 2,453 1952 Insufficient historical volume

πŸ”— Names You Might Also Like

Based on statistical similarity and shared characteristics with Catherine:

Similar Names
Christine Constance Celestine Charmaine Charlene Cathrine Cathlene Charlotte Camille Colette
More Traditional Names

πŸ—‚οΈ Browse More Baby Names

Explore our name indexes and data tracks: