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.
- #1,419 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 12,994
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
12,994 girls have been named Catharine since 1880, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Social Security Administration records show Catharine recorded 12,994 times among girls since 1880, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, 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.
- #1,419 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 12,994 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Catharine ranks #1,419 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 12,994 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #1,419 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 12,994
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
Catharine's 12,994 recorded births place it above 98.03% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
29 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
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 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
1910s is the heaviest window (2,086 births, 16% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Catharine sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Catharine most popular? ▼
Where is Catharine most popular? ▼
How long has the name Catharine been used? ▼
What names are similar to Catharine? ▼
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
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
Compare Catharine side by side: Catharine vs Catherine Catharine vs Cathy Catharine vs Catalina
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Catharine: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1915)
Similar record span (~144 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.