William vs Katherine

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

Name A

William

Boy name · Rank #10

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Name B

Katherine

Girl name · Rank #175

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Which name is more popular?

Metric William Katherine
Current Rank #10 #175
Total Births (all years) 4,199,696 650,926
Peak Year 1947 1990
Peak Year Births 67,002 11,625
Peak Decade 1950s 1980s
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade William Katherine
1880s 84,881 6,922
1890s 72,244 9,408
1900s 69,320 12,105
1910s 303,017 36,884
1920s 512,402 42,745
1930s 416,730 25,193
1940s 556,478 39,912
1950s 591,228 66,855
1960s 421,433 50,619
1970s 283,401 54,048
1980s 248,277 99,175
1990s 217,822 96,885
2000s 194,415 65,356
2010s 159,981 34,144
2020s 68,067 10,675

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year William Katherine
2014 16,851 3,691
2015 15,950 3,454
2016 15,810 3,276
2017 15,046 2,861
2018 14,646 2,677
2019 13,658 2,450
2020 12,676 1,991
2021 12,170 1,821
2022 11,356 1,742
2023 10,673 1,705
2024 10,647 1,746
2025 10,545 1,670

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, 1880–2025.

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