Katharine
A spelling of Catherine, from the Greek Aikaterine; the Greek name's meaning is unknown, though it was later reshaped toward katharos, pure.
Katharine in 2025
Katharine was given to 27 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 8,547th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 122,790 babies born.
The history of Katharine
Katharine reached its highest point in 1982, when 946 babies were given the name, ranking 507th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 310th, in 1887.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 41,241 babies have been named Katharine. Half of them were born before 1971, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation X.
Katharine by decade
| Decade | Babies named Katharine | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 896 | 310 |
| 1890s | 1,297 | 340 |
| 1900s | 1,246 | 423 |
| 1910s | 2,854 | 485 |
| 1920s | 2,572 | 662 |
| 1930s | 1,724 | 858 |
| 1940s | 2,789 | 769 |
| 1950s | 3,712 | 758 |
| 1960s | 3,114 | 889 |
| 1970s | 3,848 | 671 |
| 1980s | 7,871 | 507 |
| 1990s | 5,315 | 708 |
| 2000s | 2,881 | 1,227 |
| 2010s | 915 | 2,858 |
| 2020s | 207 | 5,954 |
Where Katharine is heading
Katharine has fallen 70% over the past decade, from 89 babies in 2015 to 27 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1982 peak — Katharine is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Katharine
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Katharine.