Catherine
Catherine was given to 972 girls in 2025, #314 among girls’ names; 669,611 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 376,000 Americans named Catherine and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (56% of everyone recorded); the median is 59 years old and half are between 37 and 71.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Catherine by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Catherine mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Catherine is “a female given name from Ancient Greek.” Its etymology gives the sense “each of the two” (ἑκάτερος).
Borrowed from French Catherine, from Ancient Greek Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterínē), *Ἑκατερίνη (*Hekaterínē), of debated meaning, possibly from ἑκάτερος (hekáteros, “each of the two”), or from the name of the goddess Hecate. The apheresis of the first syllable as well as the spelling with ⟨th⟩ in Latin languages, German and English, is due to a folk etymology, dating from Roman times, which associated the name with the Ancient Greek καθαρός (katharós, “pure”). The name belonged to a 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on the wheel from where the term Catherine wheel originates.
/ˈkæθ(ə)ɹɪn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Catherine?
#314 among girls’ names, 2025
Catherine fell from #177 in 2015 to #314 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 1.0 to 0.60 per 1,000.
12,075 babies in 1956, the peak
Catherine peaked in 1956, when 12,075 babies were given it (12,056 girls, #28 among girls’ names). The 972 births of 2025 are 8% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 972 | #314 | 0.60 |
| 2024 | 956 | #324 | 0.59 |
| 2023 | 933 | #331 | 0.58 |
| 2022 | 981 | #328 | 0.60 |
| 2021 | 1,005 | #323 | 0.61 |
| 2020 | 1,155 | #267 | 0.71 |
| 2019 | 1,312 | #241 | 0.78 |
| 2018 | 1,507 | #205 | 0.89 |
| 2017 | 1,584 | #198 | 0.92 |
| 2016 | 1,669 | #195 | 0.94 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,807 | #177 | 1.0 |
| 2014 | 1,945 | #170 | 1.1 |
| 2013 | 1,868 | #170 | 1.1 |
| 2012 | 1,913 | #165 | 1.1 |
| 2011 | 1,937 | #161 | 1.1 |
| 2010 | 1,612 | #194 | 0.91 |
| 2009 | 1,892 | #176 | 1.0 |
| 2008 | 2,323 | #148 | 1.2 |
| 2007 | 2,472 | #142 | 1.3 |
| 2006 | 2,793 | #121 | 1.5 |
| 2005 | 2,985 | #109 | 1.6 |
| 2004 | 3,181 | #103 | 1.7 |
| 2003 | 3,231 | #106 | 1.8 |
| 2002 | 3,292 | #101 | 1.8 |
| 2001 | 3,731 | #81 | 2.1 |
| 2000 | 3,802 | #81 | 2.1 |
| 1999 | 3,401 | #98 | 1.9 |
| 1998 | 3,350 | #101 | 1.9 |
| 1997 | 3,591 | #96 | 2.1 |
| 1996 | 3,739 | #95 | 2.1 |
| 1995 | 3,860 | #90 | 2.2 |
| 1994 | 4,102 | #84 | 2.3 |
| 1993 | 4,475 | #75 | 2.5 |
| 1992 | 4,536 | #78 | 2.5 |
| 1991 | 4,815 | #72 | 2.6 |
| 1990 | 4,894 | #71 | 2.6 |
| 1989 | 4,559 | #67 | 2.5 |
| 1988 | 4,504 | #69 | 2.5 |
| 1987 | 4,108 | #74 | 2.4 |
| 1986 | 4,242 | #67 | 2.5 |
| 1985 | 4,297 | #65 | 2.5 |
| 1984 | 4,240 | #69 | 2.5 |
| 1983 | 4,252 | #66 | 2.5 |
| 1982 | 4,098 | #73 | 2.4 |
| 1981 | 4,057 | #73 | 2.4 |
| 1980 | 4,080 | #77 | 2.5 |
| 1979 | 3,878 | #78 | 2.4 |
| 1978 | 3,958 | #72 | 2.6 |
| 1977 | 3,840 | #75 | 2.5 |
| 1976 | 3,780 | #72 | 2.6 |
| 1975 | 3,936 | #73 | 2.7 |
| 1974 | 4,184 | #73 | 2.9 |
| 1973 | 4,261 | #67 | 2.9 |
| 1972 | 4,686 | #65 | 3.1 |
| 1971 | 5,337 | #65 | 3.2 |
| 1970 | 6,004 | #59 | 3.4 |
| 1969 | 6,094 | #58 | 3.6 |
| 1968 | 6,129 | #56 | 3.7 |
| 1967 | 6,345 | #55 | 3.8 |
| 1966 | 6,962 | #54 | 4.1 |
| 1965 | 7,243 | #57 | 4.1 |
| 1964 | 8,237 | #54 | 4.3 |
| 1963 | 8,294 | #53 | 4.3 |
| 1962 | 8,697 | #53 | 4.4 |
| 1961 | 9,251 | #48 | 4.6 |
| 1960 | 9,536 | #42 | 4.7 |
| 1959 | 10,025 | #40 | 5.0 |
| 1958 | 10,769 | #38 | 5.4 |
| 1957 | 11,151 | #37 | 5.5 |
| 1956 | 12,056 | #28 | 6.0 |
| 1955 | 11,636 | #28 | 6.0 |
| 1954 | 11,079 | #32 | 5.7 |
| 1953 | 10,849 | #35 | 5.8 |
| 1952 | 11,053 | #34 | 6.0 |
| 1951 | 10,566 | #34 | 5.9 |
| 1950 | 9,655 | #34 | 5.6 |
| 1949 | 9,137 | #37 | 5.3 |
| 1948 | 8,244 | #41 | 4.9 |
| 1947 | 7,889 | #46 | 4.5 |
| 1946 | 6,367 | #48 | 4.1 |
| 1945 | 5,031 | #50 | 3.8 |
| 1944 | 5,256 | #49 | 4.0 |
| 1943 | 5,427 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1942 | 5,267 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1941 | 4,884 | #51 | 4.0 |
| 1940 | 4,584 | #53 | 4.0 |
| 1939 | 4,577 | #49 | 4.2 |
| 1938 | 4,525 | #48 | 4.1 |
| 1937 | 4,459 | #47 | 4.2 |
| 1936 | 4,537 | #44 | 4.4 |
| 1935 | 4,698 | #42 | 4.5 |
| 1934 | 4,933 | #42 | 4.7 |
| 1933 | 4,908 | #44 | 4.9 |
| 1932 | 5,449 | #39 | 5.1 |
| 1931 | 5,642 | #36 | 5.3 |
| 1930 | 6,299 | #35 | 5.6 |
| 1929 | 6,277 | #34 | 5.6 |
| 1928 | 6,910 | #33 | 6.0 |
| 1927 | 7,256 | #31 | 6.1 |
| 1926 | 7,469 | #31 | 6.3 |
| 1925 | 7,867 | #29 | 6.5 |
| 1924 | 8,363 | #27 | 6.7 |
| 1923 | 8,437 | #24 | 7.0 |
| 1922 | 8,537 | #24 | 7.1 |
| 1921 | 8,887 | #23 | 7.2 |
| 1920 | 8,878 | #21 | 7.4 |
| 1919 | 8,335 | #23 | 7.4 |
| 1918 | 8,842 | #20 | 7.6 |
| 1917 | 8,689 | #18 | 8.0 |
| 1916 | 8,469 | #20 | 8.1 |
| 1915 | 8,181 | #19 | 8.3 |
| 1914 | 6,613 | #18 | 8.7 |
| 1913 | 5,302 | #22 | 8.5 |
| 1912 | 4,666 | #21 | 8.4 |
| 1911 | 3,565 | #20 | 8.5 |
| 1910 | 3,161 | #22 | 8.0 |
| 1909 | 2,897 | #23 | 8.3 |
| 1908 | 2,750 | #22 | 8.2 |
| 1907 | 2,457 | #25 | 7.7 |
| 1906 | 2,230 | #26 | 7.6 |
| 1905 | 2,198 | #28 | 7.5 |
| 1904 | 1,982 | #31 | 7.2 |
| 1903 | 1,916 | #32 | 7.3 |
| 1902 | 1,896 | #31 | 7.2 |
| 1901 | 1,599 | #38 | 6.7 |
| 1900 | 2,081 | #34 | 6.9 |
| 1899 | 1,628 | #36 | 7.0 |
| 1898 | 1,705 | #41 | 6.6 |
| 1897 | 1,511 | #42 | 6.5 |
| 1896 | 1,594 | #40 | 6.7 |
| 1895 | 1,514 | #38 | 6.5 |
| 1894 | 1,430 | #41 | 6.4 |
| 1893 | 1,336 | #42 | 6.3 |
| 1892 | 1,333 | #42 | 6.3 |
| 1891 | 1,219 | #41 | 6.6 |
| 1890 | 1,232 | #44 | 6.5 |
| 1889 | 1,198 | #42 | 6.7 |
| 1888 | 1,212 | #42 | 6.8 |
| 1887 | 967 | #44 | 6.6 |
| 1886 | 916 | #45 | 6.3 |
| 1885 | 846 | #45 | 6.4 |
| 1884 | 874 | #43 | 6.8 |
| 1883 | 853 | #36 | 7.6 |
| 1882 | 726 | #42 | 6.7 |
| 1881 | 635 | #40 | 6.9 |
| 1880 | 688 | #31 | 7.6 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Catherine a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Catherine has been given almost only to girls: 1,822 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Catherine: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Catherine, and how old are they?
376,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 56% of the 669,611 Americans ever recorded as Catherine. The median Catherine alive today is 59 years old; half are between 37 and 71.
The 2020 Census counted 410,557 people named Catherine (410,212 women and girls, 345 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 406,546 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 26,700 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 144,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 74,700 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 67,100 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 45,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 17,600 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Catherine born?
The states with the most babies named Catherine are New York, Pennsylvania and California, with 29% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 79,298 | #381 | 1.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 56,964 | #246 | 1.4× |
| California | 43,621 | #372 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 33,809 | #365 | 1.0× |
| New Jersey | 27,462 | #313 | 1.5× |
| Massachusetts | 27,131 | #249 | 1.4× |
| Ohio | 26,912 | #358 | 0.8× |
| Texas | 24,867 | #290 | 0.6× |
| Michigan | 22,892 | #443 | 0.9× |
| Virginia | 17,324 | #240 | 1.1× |
Where Catherine is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Catherine is most over-represented in Maryland: since 1910 it was given 1.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Catherine with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 1,872,934 babies since 1880, Catherine is the most given (36% of them). In 2025 it was given to 972 of their 3,073 babies (32%), the second most given that year.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Catherine
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Catherine and names like it
- Compare Catherine and KatherineBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sCatherine peaked in 1956.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Catherine since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Catherine: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1956The year the most babies were named Catherine.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Catherine alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with CMost given first.