Katharine
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Greek
- US rank, 2025
- #4,877 for girls
Katharine is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “pure”. In 2025 it ranked 4,877th for girls in the US (27 babies).
What does Katharine mean?
Greek
“pure”
A female given name from Ancient Greek.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Katharine a girl's or a boy's name?
Katharine is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 27 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Katharine in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1997, with 161 girls.
Half of all the girls named Katharine in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2004. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Katharine in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | #4,915 |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,870 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 6 | #3,630 |
| 2019 | 5 | #4,214 |
| 2018 | 6 | #3,702 |
| 2017 | 6 | #3,774 |
| 2016 | 8 | #3,105 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 14 | #2,076 |
| 2013 | 11 | #2,454 |
| 2012 | 11 | #2,463 |
| 2011 | 19 | #1,629 |
| 2010 | 27 | #1,262 |
| 2009 | 21 | #1,449 |
| 2008 | 41 | #876 |
| 2007 | 36 | #924 |
| 2006 | 37 | #868 |
| 2005 | 38 | #808 |
| 2004 | 61 | #571 |
| 2003 | 54 | #599 |
| 2002 | 80 | #445 |
| 2001 | 69 | #485 |
| 2000 | 107 | #349 |
| 1999 | 115 | #322 |
| 1998 | 123 | #319 |
| 1997 | 161 | #266 |
| 1996 | 158 | #263 |
How popular is Katharine in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 4,877th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 27 about 1 in 60,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 47% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 27 girls in the US were named Katharine, making it the 4,877th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,399th. Its busiest year was 1982, with 946 girls.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the fewest girls named Katharine since the records began in 1880.
Half of all the girls named Katharine in the US since 1880 were born between 1938 and 1988, the years shaded on the chart below.
Katharine in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | #4,877 |
| 2024 | 28 | #4,770 |
| 2023 | 34 | #4,189 |
| 2022 | 42 | #3,651 |
| 2021 | 31 | #4,409 |
| 2020 | 45 | #3,399 |
| 2019 | 66 | #2,632 |
| 2018 | 56 | #2,927 |
| 2017 | 73 | #2,464 |
| 2016 | 62 | #2,761 |
| 2015 | 89 | #2,138 |
| 2014 | 89 | #2,139 |
| 2013 | 109 | #1,849 |
| 2012 | 110 | #1,831 |
| 2011 | 134 | #1,612 |
| 2010 | 127 | #1,668 |
| 2009 | 160 | #1,450 |
| 2008 | 191 | #1,299 |
| 2007 | 256 | #1,030 |
| 2006 | 293 | #905 |
| 2005 | 301 | #842 |
| 2004 | 323 | #789 |
| 2003 | 375 | #697 |
| 2002 | 286 | #808 |
| 2001 | 334 | #728 |
| 2000 | 362 | #667 |
| 1999 | 320 | #707 |
| 1998 | 453 | #548 |
| 1997 | 407 | #571 |
| 1996 | 432 | #540 |
| 1995 | 465 | #520 |
| 1994 | 542 | #467 |
| 1993 | 654 | #389 |
| 1992 | 708 | #362 |
| 1991 | 687 | #374 |
| 1990 | 647 | #401 |
| 1989 | 628 | #393 |
| 1988 | 755 | #327 |
| 1987 | 728 | #337 |
| 1986 | 907 | #275 |
| 1985 | 841 | #292 |
| 1984 | 852 | #284 |
| 1983 | 839 | #281 |
| 1982 | 946 | #262 |
| 1981 | 792 | #306 |
| 1980 | 572 | #397 |
| 1979 | 628 | #361 |
| 1978 | 422 | #467 |
| 1977 | 435 | #455 |
| 1976 | 367 | #493 |
| 1975 | 345 | #517 |
| 1974 | 344 | #505 |
| 1973 | 269 | #587 |
| 1972 | 309 | #539 |
| 1971 | 320 | #558 |
| 1970 | 409 | #489 |
| 1969 | 367 | #509 |
| 1968 | 370 | #504 |
| 1967 | 270 | #581 |
| 1966 | 300 | #543 |
| 1965 | 285 | #566 |
| 1964 | 289 | #584 |
| 1963 | 307 | #557 |
| 1962 | 291 | #577 |
| 1961 | 331 | #543 |
| 1960 | 304 | #562 |
| 1959 | 366 | #511 |
| 1958 | 405 | #474 |
| 1957 | 408 | #469 |
| 1956 | 405 | #455 |
| 1955 | 416 | #438 |
| 1954 | 322 | #492 |
| 1953 | 337 | #462 |
| 1952 | 359 | #453 |
| 1951 | 321 | #465 |
| 1950 | 373 | #414 |
| 1949 | 345 | #422 |
| 1948 | 334 | #435 |
| 1947 | 350 | #436 |
| 1946 | 300 | #447 |
| 1945 | 282 | #423 |
| 1944 | 256 | #454 |
| 1943 | 280 | #444 |
| 1942 | 259 | #462 |
| 1941 | 223 | #468 |
| 1940 | 160 | #544 |
| 1939 | 181 | #495 |
| 1938 | 164 | #527 |
| 1937 | 160 | #521 |
| 1936 | 182 | #474 |
| 1935 | 170 | #484 |
| 1934 | 167 | #500 |
| 1933 | 152 | #514 |
| 1932 | 177 | #496 |
| 1931 | 166 | #501 |
| 1930 | 205 | #468 |
| 1929 | 195 | #484 |
| 1928 | 201 | #482 |
| 1927 | 226 | #464 |
| 1926 | 214 | #473 |
| 1925 | 236 | #452 |
| 1924 | 265 | #429 |
| 1923 | 266 | #409 |
| 1922 | 291 | #381 |
| 1921 | 329 | #369 |
| 1920 | 349 | #349 |
| 1919 | 353 | #341 |
| 1918 | 372 | #334 |
| 1917 | 357 | #330 |
| 1916 | 336 | #334 |
| 1915 | 344 | #318 |
| 1914 | 290 | #307 |
| 1913 | 236 | #309 |
| 1912 | 261 | #279 |
| 1911 | 148 | #325 |
| 1910 | 157 | #307 |
| 1909 | 144 | #297 |
| 1908 | 155 | #281 |
| 1907 | 122 | #316 |
| 1906 | 133 | #288 |
| 1905 | 121 | #306 |
| 1904 | 109 | #308 |
| 1903 | 126 | #278 |
| 1902 | 89 | #332 |
| 1901 | 106 | #293 |
| 1900 | 141 | #273 |
| 1899 | 104 | #286 |
| 1898 | 125 | #270 |
| 1897 | 145 | #227 |
| 1896 | 151 | #224 |
| 1895 | 145 | #229 |
| 1894 | 140 | #224 |
| 1893 | 128 | #233 |
| 1892 | 123 | #235 |
| 1891 | 117 | #224 |
| 1890 | 119 | #224 |
| 1889 | 119 | #211 |
| 1888 | 108 | #223 |
| 1887 | 110 | #191 |
| 1886 | 90 | #210 |
| 1885 | 78 | #222 |
| 1884 | 86 | #201 |
| 1883 | 79 | #190 |
| 1882 | 82 | #175 |
| 1881 | 68 | #181 |
| 1880 | 76 | #171 |
Names like Katharine
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Katie, Catherine, Elizabeth, Alice, Lydia, Sophie, Charlotte, Georgia, Sarah, Josephine, Grace, Emily
Names related to Katharine
Katherine, Kathryn, Katrina, Katarina, Katherina, Kathrine, Katharina, Katheryn, Katherin, Katerin
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Zoe, Iris
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Katharine: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/katharine, updated 20 October 2026.