Total births
12,994
Girls' name · since 1880
Catharine
Catharine has 12,994 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1915 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #12162
- among girls today
- 12,994
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other girls
Catharine currently ranks #12162 among girls' names in America, with 12,994 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Catharine recorded 12,994 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #12162 nationally today, ahead of 31% of girls, peaking in the 1910s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2024.
- #12162 among girls today
- 12,994 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 31% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Catharine is currently the #12162 girls' name in America, more common than 31% of girls - 12,994 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #12162
- among girls today
- 12,994
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 31%
- more common than other girls
Catharine vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#12162
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 31% of names given to girls today.
1910s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Catharine was born in this single decade.
1915
Single peak year
281 babies were named Catharine in 1915 - its busiest year on record.
How Catharine compares
12,994 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Catharine's all-time total is 34x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Catharine | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,994 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 281 | 48 | 19,840 |
Catharine's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Catharine's full recorded timeline at 1952, 36% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 64% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2023, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1915 peak of 281 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Catharine at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1915
Current rank
#12,162
Active since
1880
Catharine popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2024
- Peak year (1915)
- 281
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Catharine by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Catharine's strongest decade.
2,086 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Catharine births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 478
1880s
478 births
- 1890s 801
1890s
801 births
- 1900s
1900s
1,117 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,086 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,643 births
- 1930s
1930s
844 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,012 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,387 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,074 births
- 1970s 777
1970s
777 births
- 1980s 705
1980s
705 births
- 1990s 550
1990s
550 births
- 2000s 337
2000s
337 births
- 2010s 147
2010s
147 births
- 2020s 36
2020s
36 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 2,086 births (16% of all-time use).
How Catharine compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Catharine's total volume
Catharine vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Catharine by state
Where Catharine concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 2,173 | 16.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 900 | 6.9% |
| #3 | California | | 527 | 4.1% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 418 | 3.2% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 322 | 2.5% |
| #6 | Texas | | 230 | 1.8% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 209 | 1.6% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 157 | 1.2% |
Pennsylvania share of Catharine's total US births 16.7%
Even split
2,173 of 12,994 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 29 reporting states.
Catharine appears in 29 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Catharine? ▼
Catharine has been given to 12,994 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #12162 as of the latest data. 281 babies were born in 1915, its single highest year.
When was Catharine most popular? ▼
Catharine was most popular in the 1910s decade with 2,086 total births. The single peak year was 1915.
Where is Catharine most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Catharine are Pennsylvania (2,173 births), New York (900 births), California (527 births).
How long has the name Catharine been used? ▼
Catharine has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Catharine? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Catherine, Cathy, Catalina, Cathleen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Catharine's data
- Catharine's decade-level peak was the 1910s (2,086 total births); usage has since declined to 36 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Catharines (2,173 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Catharine
Nearby Names Like Catharine
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Catharine
Catherine Girl
#322 667,789 births
Cathy Girl
#5993 170,303 births
Catalina Girl
#128 33,009 births
Cathleen Girl
#8463 29,923 births
Cathryn Girl
#6650 16,332 births
Compare Catharine side by side: Catharine vs Catherine Catharine vs Cathy Catharine vs Catalina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Catharine
Dessie #12161
11,414 births · Peak 1918
George #12163
9,963 births · Peak 1927
Zeari #12160
13 births · Peak 2024
Retta #12164
3,399 births · Peak 1922
Yohaly #12159
8 births · Peak 2024
Letitia #12165
11,408 births · Peak 1964
Winshaida #12158
8 births · Peak 2024
Edythe #12166
13,880 births · Peak 1918
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Catharine: #12162 Girls' Name - 12,994 Births, Peak 1915." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/catharine. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Catharine draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.