Catherine
The French form of the Greek name Aikaterine, whose original meaning is unrecovered. Early Christian writers linked it to katharos, pure, and that association reshaped the spelling.
Catherine in 2025
Catherine was given to 972 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 669th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 3,411 babies born.
The history of Catherine
Catherine reached its highest point in 1956, when 12,075 babies were given the name, ranking 65th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 30th, in 1911.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 669,611 babies have been named Catherine. Half of them were born before 1953, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Catherine by decade
| Decade | Babies named Catherine | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 8,933 | 55 |
| 1890s | 14,523 | 50 |
| 1900s | 22,056 | 31 |
| 1910s | 65,970 | 30 |
| 1920s | 79,136 | 43 |
| 1930s | 50,269 | 66 |
| 1940s | 62,269 | 72 |
| 1950s | 109,059 | 62 |
| 1960s | 77,007 | 89 |
| 1970s | 44,023 | 114 |
| 1980s | 42,631 | 137 |
| 1990s | 40,843 | 146 |
| 2000s | 29,736 | 182 |
| 2010s | 17,154 | 357 |
| 2020s | 6,002 | 575 |
Where Catherine is heading
Catherine has fallen 46% over the past decade, from 1,807 babies in 2015 to 972 in 2025.
Names like Catherine
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Catherine.