Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1982

Katharine

Meaning pure Gender Girl Rank 2025 #4,935 Trend ↓ Falling 45%

A variant spelling of Catherine, based on the folk etymology that it would derive from Greek καθαρός (katharos "pure").

Rank 2025
#4,935
among girls · ↓107 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
27
named Katharine · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 59,528
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1982
946 babies
All-time total
41,241
#676 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Katharine popularity over time

41,241 babies have been named Katharine since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 896 – 896 90 – #172
1890s 1,297 – 1,297 130 +45% #224
1900s 1,246 – 1,246 125 -4% #273
1910s 2,854 – 2,854 285 +129% #279
1920s 2,572 – 2,572 257 -10% #351
1930s 1,724 – 1,724 172 -33% #469
1940s 2,789 – 2,789 279 +62% #423
1950s 3,712 – 3,712 371 +33% #415
1960s 3,114 – 3,114 311 -16% #504
1970s 3,848 – 3,848 385 +24% #361
1980s 7,860 11 7,871 787 +105% #262
1990s 5,315 – 5,315 532 -32% #362
2000s 2,881 – 2,881 288 -46% #669
2010s 915 – 915 92 -68% #1,615
2020s (to 2025) 207 – 207 35 -62% #3,427

Where Katharine is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 25 0.02 outside top 500
2027 23 0.01 outside top 500
2028 21 0.01 outside top 500
2029 20 0.01 outside top 500
2030 19 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Katharine

Katharine is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,935 in 2025 with 27 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 41,241 American babies have been named Katharine. Its peak came in 1982, when 946 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Katharine stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Katharine?

The median living Katharine is about 42 years old; half are between 33 and 59. An estimated 29 thousand people named Katharine are alive in the United States today.

median 42 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Katharine year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 27 #4,935 – –
2024 28 #4,828 – –
2023 34 #4,238 – –
2022 42 #3,680 – –
2021 31 #4,455 – –
2020 45 #3,427 – –
2019 66 #2,638 – –
2018 56 #2,946 – –
2017 73 #2,476 – –
2016 62 #2,784 – –
2015 89 #2,146 – –
2014 89 #2,147 – –
2013 109 #1,857 – –
2012 110 #1,844 – –
2011 134 #1,615 – –
2010 127 #1,674 – –
2009 160 #1,460 – –
2008 191 #1,305 – –
2007 256 #1,032 – –
2006 293 #907 – –
2005 301 #842 – –
2004 323 #790 – –
2003 375 #697 – –
2002 286 #809 – –
2001 334 #728 – –
2000 362 #669 – –
1995 465 #520 – –
1990 647 #401 – –
1985 841 #293 5 #7,076
1980 572 #397 – –
1975 345 #517 – –
1970 409 #491 – –
1965 285 #566 – –
1960 304 #562 – –
1955 416 #440 – –
1950 373 #415 – –
1945 282 #424 – –
1940 160 #544 – –
1935 170 #484 – –
1930 205 #469 – –
1925 236 #453 – –
1920 349 #351 – –
1915 344 #319 – –
1910 157 #307 – –
1905 121 #306 – –
1900 141 #273 – –
1895 145 #229 – –
1890 119 #226 – –
1885 78 #223 – –
1880 76 #172 – –

Famous people named Katharine

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Katharine Hepburn Katharine Hepburn American actress (1907–2003) Contemporary
  2. 2 Katharine Ross Katharine Ross American actress (born 1940) Contemporary
  3. 3 Katharine, Duchess of Kent Katharine, Duchess of Kent Member of the British royal family (1933–2025) Contemporary
  4. 4 Katharine McPhee Katharine McPhee American singer and actress (born 1984) Contemporary
  5. 5 Katharine Isabelle Katharine Isabelle Canadian actress (born 1981) Contemporary
  6. 6 Katharine Graham Katharine Graham American newspaper publisher (1917–2001) Contemporary
  7. 7 Katharine Houghton Katharine Houghton American actress and playwright b. 1945 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Katharine Drexel Katharine Drexel American Catholic religious sister and saint (1858–1955) 19th century
  9. 9 Katharine Cornell Katharine Cornell German-born American actress (1893–1974) 19th century
  10. 10 Katharine Burr Blodgett Katharine Burr Blodgett American physicist (1898–1979) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Katharine, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Katharine?

The median living Katharine is about 42 years old. Half of all living Katharines are between 33 and 59 years old.

How many people named Katharine are alive today?

An estimated 29 thousand people named Katharine are alive in the United States, based on 41,241 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Katharine mean?

A variant spelling of Catherine, based on the folk etymology that it would derive from Greek καθαρός (katharos "pure").

How popular is the name Katharine in 2025?

Katharine ranked #4,935 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 27 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Katharine?

41,241 babies have been named Katharine in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Katharine most popular?

Katharine peaked in 1982, when 946 newborns received the name.

Is Katharine a boy or girl name?

Katharine is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Katharine rising or falling?

Katharine is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Katharine become more popular?

Katharine is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 19 girls named Katharine in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Katharine?

Well-known people named Katharine include Katharine Hepburn (actor), Katharine Ross (actor), Katharine, Duchess of Kent (politician).

Names like Katharine

Names that sound and feel close to Katharine: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Katharine with similar names → More names starting with K →