Total births
667,789
Girls' name · since 1880
Catherine
Catherine has 667,789 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1956 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #322
- among girls today
- 667,789
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
667,789 babies have been named Catherine since 1880, making it today's #322 girls' name.
Catherine has 667,789 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #322 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #322 among girls today
- 667,789 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Catherine is currently the #322 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 667,789 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #322
- among girls today
- 667,789
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Catherine vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#322
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Catherine was born in this single decade.
1956
Single peak year
12,056 babies were named Catherine in 1956 - its busiest year on record.
How Catherine compares
667,789 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Catherine's all-time total is 1,748x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Catherine | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 667,789 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 12,056 | 48 | 19,840 |
Catherine's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Catherine's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 50% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 50%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 635 births recorded -- set against the 1956 peak of 12,056, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Catherine at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1956
Current rank
#322
Active since
1880
Catherine popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1956)
- 12,056
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Catherine popularity over time - boys
1,822 total births recorded since 1884 (Catherine as boys' name)
Catherine by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Catherine's strongest decade.
108,839 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Catherine births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 8,915
1880s
8,915 births
- 1890s 14,502
1890s
14,502 births
- 1900s 22,006
1900s
22,006 births
- 1910s
1910s
65,823 births
- 1920s
1920s
78,881 births
- 1930s
1930s
50,027 births
- 1940s
1940s
62,086 births
- 1950s
1950s
108,839 births
- 1960s
1960s
76,788 births
- 1970s
1970s
43,864 births
- 1980s 42,437
1980s
42,437 births
- 1990s 40,763
1990s
40,763 births
- 2000s 29,702
2000s
29,702 births
- 2010s 17,154
2010s
17,154 births
- 2020s 6,002
2020s
6,002 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 108,839 births (16% of all-time use).
How Catherine 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 Catherine's total volume
Catherine vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Catherine by state
Where Catherine concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 79,230 | 11.9% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 56,931 | 8.5% |
| #3 | California | | 43,605 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 33,809 | 5.1% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 27,457 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 27,131 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 26,912 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Texas | | 24,867 | 3.7% |
New York share of Catherine's total US births 11.9%
Even split
79,230 of 667,789 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Catherine appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Catherine? ▼
667,789 babies have been named Catherine since 1880. It currently ranks #322 among girls. The peak year was 1956 with 12,056 births.
When was Catherine most popular? ▼
Catherine was most popular in the 1950s decade with 108,839 total births. The single peak year was 1956.
Where is Catherine most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Catherine are New York (79,230 births), Pennsylvania (56,931 births), California (43,605 births).
How long has the name Catherine been used? ▼
Catherine has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Catherine? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cathy, Catalina, Cathleen, Cathryn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Catherine's data
- Catherine's decade-level peak was the 1950s (108,839 total births); usage has since declined to 6,002 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Catherines (79,230 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Catherine
Nearby Names Like Catherine
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Catherine
Cathy Girl
#5993 170,303 births
Catalina Girl
#128 33,009 births
Cathleen Girl
#8463 29,923 births
Cathryn Girl
#6650 16,332 births
Catharine Girl
#12162 12,994 births
Compare Catherine side by side: Catherine vs Cathy Catherine vs Catalina Catherine vs Cathleen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Catherine
Nina #321
133,788 births · Peak 1980
Camilla #323
30,276 births · Peak 2019
Journey #320
20,882 births · Peak 2018
Adriana #324
96,392 births · Peak 2006
Nayeli #319
24,651 births · Peak 2001
Meadow #325
12,343 births · Peak 2025
Nicole #318
594,500 births · Peak 1985
Jordyn #326
62,171 births · Peak 2010
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Catherine: #322 Girls' Name - 667,789 Births, Peak 1956." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/catherine. 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 Catherine 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.