Katherine vs Kathleen

Side-by-side comparison of Katherine and Kathleen — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Katherine

Girl name · Rank #175

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Name B

Kathleen

Girl name · Rank #1107

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Katherine Kathleen
Current Rank #175 #1107
Total Births (all years) 649,238 713,438
Peak Year 1990 1951
Peak Year Births 11,627 26,716
Peak Decade 1980ss 1950ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Katherine Kathleen
1880ss 6,922 389
1890ss 9,408 1,942
1900ss 12,105 3,924
1910ss 36,884 16,592
1920ss 42,745 33,597
1930ss 25,193 34,550
1940ss 39,911 152,981
1950ss 66,854 224,341
1960ss 50,618 120,950
1970ss 54,052 44,846
1980ss 99,176 39,395
1990ss 96,885 24,847
2000ss 65,355 10,065
2010ss 34,139 3,808
2020ss 8,991 1,211

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Katherine Kathleen
2014 3,689 422
2015 3,454 341
2016 3,275 340
2017 2,861 314
2018 2,676 306
2019 2,450 280
2020 1,991 253
2021 1,819 262
2022 1,738 228
2023 1,703 248
2024 1,740 220

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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