Girls' name · since 1882
Cathern
Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 1,080 babies named Cathern, peaking in 1930. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #7,119 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 1,080
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
Cathern is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 1,080 have been recorded since 1882.
Cathern has 1,080 recorded births among girls since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 1988.
- #7,119 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 1,080 born since 1882
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cathern ranks #7,119 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 1,080 born since 1882, peaking in the 1920s.
- #7,119 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 1,080
- born since 1882
- 1920s
- peak decade
Cathern's 1,080 recorded births place it above 90.15% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by West Virginia.
Cathern's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cathern's full recorded timeline at 1938, 44% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 56% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1884, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1930 peak of 29 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cathern popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–1988
- Peak year (1930)
- 29
- Annual births at peak, across 107 years of records
Cathern by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (229 births, 21% of the file).
1920s was Cathern's strongest decade.
229 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Cathern births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 29
1880s
29 births
- 1890s 15
1890s
15 births
- 1900s 30
1900s
30 births
- 1910s
1910s
162 births
- 1920s
1920s
229 births
- 1930s
1930s
165 births
- 1940s
1940s
144 births
- 1950s
1950s
161 births
- 1960s 74
1960s
74 births
- 1970s 41
1970s
41 births
- 1980s 30
1980s
30 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 229 births (21% of all-time use).
How Cathern 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 Cathern's total volume
Cathern by state
Where Cathern concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | West Virginia | | 13 | 1.2% |
| #2 | Virginia | | 5 | 0.5% |
13 of 1,080 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where does Cathern sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
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What to do with Cathern's data
- Cathern's decade-level peak was the 1920s (229 total births); usage has since declined to 30 in the 1980s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- West Virginia records the most Catherns (13 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. West Virginia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cathern
Nearby Names Like Cathern
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cathern
Compare Cathern side by side: Cathern vs Catherine Cathern vs Cathy Cathern 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 Cathern: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1930)
Similar record span (~106 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, 1882–1988 (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 Cathern 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.