Katherine
A female given name from Ancient Greek, a popular spelling variant of Catherine.
Every Katherine since 1880 — 652,750 of them. Popularity, births, and rankings for each year, from official Social Security records.
The story of Katherine
Katherine is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #186 in 2025 with 1,670 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.
Since 1880, 652,750 American babies have been named Katherine. Its peak came in 1990, when 11,657 newborns received the name — the signature sound of the 1990s.
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 Katherine stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.
Katherine 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 | 1,670 | #186 | — | — |
| 2024 | 1,746 | #175 | — | — |
| 2023 | 1,705 | #170 | — | — |
| 2022 | 1,742 | #166 | — | — |
| 2021 | 1,821 | #157 | — | — |
| 2020 | 1,991 | #136 | — | — |
| 2019 | 2,450 | #120 | — | — |
| 2018 | 2,677 | #112 | — | — |
| 2017 | 2,861 | #105 | — | — |
| 2016 | 3,276 | #91 | — | — |
| 2015 | 3,454 | #84 | 9 | #8,387 |
| 2014 | 3,691 | #82 | 7 | #10,198 |
| 2013 | 3,723 | #77 | — | — |
| 2012 | 3,953 | #64 | — | — |
| 2011 | 4,189 | #61 | 5 | #13,352 |
| 2010 | 3,870 | #70 | — | — |
| 2009 | 4,432 | #60 | 5 | #13,504 |
| 2008 | 5,350 | #45 | 6 | #11,840 |
| 2007 | 5,818 | #39 | 7 | #10,349 |
| 2006 | 6,295 | #37 | 6 | #11,360 |
| 2005 | 6,392 | #36 | 14 | #5,737 |
| 2004 | 6,742 | #35 | 32 | #3,115 |
| 2003 | 7,126 | #35 | 10 | #6,995 |
| 2002 | 7,212 | #36 | 12 | #5,906 |
| 2001 | 7,880 | #35 | 14 | #5,281 |
| 2000 | 8,109 | #33 | 13 | #5,447 |
| 1995 | 8,987 | #30 | 13 | #4,659 |
| 1990 | 11,625 | #26 | 32 | #2,238 |
| 1985 | 10,128 | #32 | 39 | #1,631 |
| 1980 | 8,017 | #35 | 30 | #1,889 |
| 1975 | 4,851 | #58 | 18 | #2,402 |
| 1970 | 5,443 | #67 | 16 | #2,352 |
| 1965 | 4,706 | #79 | 10 | #2,696 |
| 1960 | 5,876 | #81 | 24 | #1,670 |
| 1955 | 7,239 | #65 | 15 | #2,094 |
| 1950 | 6,205 | #58 | 9 | #2,673 |
| 1945 | 3,393 | #82 | 12 | #2,065 |
| 1940 | 2,709 | #92 | 10 | #2,404 |
| 1935 | 2,340 | #103 | 14 | #1,987 |
| 1930 | 3,033 | #85 | 22 | #1,583 |
| 1925 | 4,240 | #61 | 13 | #2,372 |
| 1920 | 5,276 | #45 | 17 | #2,005 |
| 1915 | 4,488 | #49 | 8 | #2,954 |
| 1910 | 1,752 | #57 | — | — |
| 1905 | 1,190 | #64 | — | — |
| 1900 | 1,201 | #65 | — | — |
| 1895 | 968 | #65 | — | — |
| 1890 | 900 | #59 | — | — |
| 1885 | 751 | #50 | — | — |
| 1880 | 502 | #53 | 5 | #994 |
Famous people named Katherine
- Katherine Johnson Mathematician · 1918–2020
- Katherine Mansfield Writer · 1888–1923
- Katherine Heigl Actor · b. 1978
- Katherine MacGregor Actor · 1925–2018
- Katherine Helmond Actor · 1929–2019
Ranked by global fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Katherine mean?
A female given name from Ancient Greek, a popular spelling variant of Catherine.
How popular is the name Katherine in 2025?
Katherine ranked #186 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,670 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
How many people are named Katherine?
652,750 babies have been named Katherine in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.
When was the name Katherine most popular?
Katherine peaked in 1990, when 11,657 newborns received the name.
Is Katherine a boy or girl name?
Katherine is overwhelmingly a girl's name — 100% of babies with the name.
Is the name Katherine rising or falling?
Katherine is declining — less popular now than a decade ago.
Who are famous people named Katherine?
Well-known people named Katherine include Katherine Johnson (mathematician), Katherine Mansfield (writer), Katherine Heigl (actor).