Kathryn
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KATH-rin
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,856 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #729 for girls
Kathryn is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “associated with katharos, pure”. In 2025 it ranked 2,856th for girls in the UK (9 babies) and 729th for girls in the US (381 babies).
What does Kathryn mean?
Greek: spelling of Katherine
“associated with katharos, pure”
Variant spelling of Katherine, the name of St Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th-century martyr.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kathryn a girl's or a boy's name?
Kathryn is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 9 girls in the UK and 381 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kathryn in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,856th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 9 about 1 in 31,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 48% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 9 girls in the UK were named Kathryn, making it the 2,856th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,312th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 741 girls.
2025 had the fewest girls named Kathryn since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Kathryn in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2005. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 54 girls in the UK were given Kathryn or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #688, up from #2,856 for this spelling alone.
- Katherine 45
- Kathryn 9
Among girls in 2025, it was 2,786th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1954 (#60), 1964 (#60), 1974 (#49), 1984 (#50) and 1994 (#77).
Kathryn in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #2,856 |
| 2024 | 15 | #1,953 |
| 2023 | 21 | #1,560 |
| 2022 | 10 | #2,615 |
| 2021 | 28 | #1,264 |
| 2020 | 26 | #1,312 |
| 2019 | 32 | #1,129 |
| 2018 | 29 | #1,237 |
| 2017 | 44 | #933 |
| 2016 | 52 | #816 |
| 2015 | 62 | #702 |
| 2014 | 64 | #681 |
| 2013 | 65 | #680 |
| 2012 | 90 | #532 |
| 2011 | 86 | #535 |
| 2010 | 113 | #427 |
| 2009 | 122 | #395 |
| 2008 | 132 | #378 |
| 2007 | 173 | #299 |
| 2006 | 192 | #273 |
| 2005 | 217 | #236 |
| 2004 | 246 | #210 |
| 2003 | 296 | #181 |
| 2002 | 346 | #149 |
| 2001 | 412 | #130 |
| 2000 | 441 | #126 |
| 1999 | 509 | #113 |
| 1998 | 585 | #102 |
| 1997 | 741 | #81 |
| 1996 | 723 | #85 |
How popular is Kathryn in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 729th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 381 about 1 in 4,200 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 37% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 381 girls in the US were named Kathryn, making it the 729th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 525th. Its busiest year was 1952, with 8,504 girls.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 25 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Kathryn than any year since 1885.
Half of all the girls named Kathryn in the US since 1880 were born between 1943 and 1985, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 2,100 girls in the US were given Kathryn or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #170, up from #729 for this spelling alone.
Kathryn in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 381 | #729 |
| 2024 | 393 | #714 |
| 2023 | 432 | #678 |
| 2022 | 452 | #655 |
| 2021 | 510 | #589 |
| 2020 | 574 | #525 |
| 2019 | 651 | #483 |
| 2018 | 699 | #452 |
| 2017 | 748 | #426 |
| 2016 | 839 | #396 |
| 2015 | 1,021 | #318 |
| 2014 | 1,118 | #292 |
| 2013 | 1,184 | #270 |
| 2012 | 1,230 | #264 |
| 2011 | 1,339 | #235 |
| 2010 | 1,370 | #230 |
| 2009 | 1,520 | #213 |
| 2008 | 1,782 | #190 |
| 2007 | 2,216 | #163 |
| 2006 | 2,420 | #143 |
| 2005 | 2,579 | #125 |
| 2004 | 2,757 | #122 |
| 2003 | 2,948 | #117 |
| 2002 | 3,109 | #108 |
| 2001 | 3,332 | #97 |
| 2000 | 3,644 | #89 |
| 1999 | 3,590 | #91 |
| 1998 | 3,703 | #89 |
| 1997 | 3,873 | #86 |
| 1996 | 4,102 | #87 |
| 1995 | 4,328 | #83 |
| 1994 | 4,620 | #79 |
| 1993 | 5,092 | #68 |
| 1992 | 5,686 | #60 |
| 1991 | 5,832 | #57 |
| 1990 | 6,353 | #57 |
| 1989 | 6,294 | #58 |
| 1988 | 6,342 | #55 |
| 1987 | 6,238 | #51 |
| 1986 | 6,393 | #48 |
| 1985 | 6,634 | #48 |
| 1984 | 6,538 | #48 |
| 1983 | 6,370 | #50 |
| 1982 | 6,284 | #48 |
| 1981 | 5,823 | #48 |
| 1980 | 5,527 | #50 |
| 1979 | 5,312 | #50 |
| 1978 | 4,808 | #57 |
| 1977 | 3,964 | #70 |
| 1976 | 3,262 | #88 |
| 1975 | 2,947 | #99 |
| 1974 | 2,991 | #98 |
| 1973 | 2,885 | #107 |
| 1972 | 3,127 | #103 |
| 1971 | 3,419 | #111 |
| 1970 | 3,719 | #104 |
| 1969 | 3,617 | #104 |
| 1968 | 3,561 | #100 |
| 1967 | 3,695 | #92 |
| 1966 | 4,008 | #86 |
| 1965 | 4,157 | #87 |
| 1964 | 4,924 | #84 |
| 1963 | 4,701 | #93 |
| 1962 | 5,107 | #88 |
| 1961 | 5,226 | #93 |
| 1960 | 5,868 | #82 |
| 1959 | 6,746 | #69 |
| 1958 | 7,324 | #58 |
| 1957 | 7,211 | #65 |
| 1956 | 7,594 | #60 |
| 1955 | 7,640 | #59 |
| 1954 | 8,137 | #51 |
| 1953 | 8,324 | #48 |
| 1952 | 8,504 | #48 |
| 1951 | 8,460 | #45 |
| 1950 | 7,863 | #46 |
| 1949 | 7,184 | #52 |
| 1948 | 6,177 | #54 |
| 1947 | 6,091 | #55 |
| 1946 | 4,999 | #63 |
| 1945 | 3,971 | #65 |
| 1944 | 3,855 | #68 |
| 1943 | 3,647 | #75 |
| 1942 | 3,350 | #82 |
| 1941 | 2,869 | #87 |
| 1940 | 2,438 | #103 |
| 1939 | 2,379 | #106 |
| 1938 | 2,282 | #113 |
| 1937 | 2,326 | #108 |
| 1936 | 2,110 | #113 |
| 1935 | 2,127 | #111 |
| 1934 | 2,258 | #108 |
| 1933 | 2,121 | #108 |
| 1932 | 2,263 | #107 |
| 1931 | 2,202 | #108 |
| 1930 | 2,515 | #101 |
| 1929 | 2,434 | #104 |
| 1928 | 2,681 | #99 |
| 1927 | 2,933 | #90 |
| 1926 | 3,094 | #87 |
| 1925 | 3,262 | #88 |
| 1924 | 3,598 | #81 |
| 1923 | 3,714 | #72 |
| 1922 | 3,792 | #73 |
| 1921 | 4,201 | #64 |
| 1920 | 4,082 | #67 |
| 1919 | 3,825 | #66 |
| 1918 | 4,068 | #63 |
| 1917 | 3,984 | #60 |
| 1916 | 3,933 | #60 |
| 1915 | 3,778 | #60 |
| 1914 | 2,901 | #63 |
| 1913 | 2,246 | #66 |
| 1912 | 1,905 | #71 |
| 1911 | 1,397 | #73 |
| 1910 | 1,198 | #80 |
| 1909 | 1,138 | #74 |
| 1908 | 1,058 | #77 |
| 1907 | 864 | #88 |
| 1906 | 911 | #78 |
| 1905 | 788 | #86 |
| 1904 | 787 | #83 |
| 1903 | 729 | #86 |
| 1902 | 717 | #87 |
| 1901 | 620 | #90 |
| 1900 | 721 | #93 |
| 1899 | 621 | #87 |
| 1898 | 671 | #89 |
| 1897 | 570 | #93 |
| 1896 | 625 | #88 |
| 1895 | 585 | #90 |
| 1894 | 520 | #96 |
| 1893 | 534 | #90 |
| 1892 | 549 | #88 |
| 1891 | 504 | #87 |
| 1890 | 474 | #91 |
| 1889 | 415 | #94 |
| 1888 | 446 | #92 |
| 1887 | 384 | #87 |
| 1886 | 383 | #89 |
| 1885 | 320 | #92 |
| 1884 | 344 | #86 |
| 1883 | 290 | #93 |
| 1882 | 272 | #95 |
| 1881 | 218 | #98 |
| 1880 | 204 | #102 |
Nicknames for Kathryn
Names like Kathryn
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Katie, Sarah, Anna, Georgia, Sophie, Elizabeth, Karen, Helen, Emma, Charlotte, Zoe, Ffion
Other spellings of Kathryn
Names related to Kathryn
Katrina, Kateryna, Katharine, Katrin, Katherina, Cathryn, Katheryn, Katerin
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Iris, Maisie
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, “Kathryn: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kathryn, updated 20 October 2026.