Girls' name · since 1882
Cathryn
Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 16,332 babies named Cathryn, peaking in 1956. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,205 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,938 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 16,332
- born since 1882
- 1950s
- peak decade
16,332 babies have been named Cathryn since 1882, making it today's #10938 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Cathryn recorded 16,332 times among girls since 1882, holding rank #10938 nationally today, ahead of 37% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #1,205 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,938 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 16,332 born since 1882
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cathryn ranks #1,205 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,938 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 16,332 born since 1882, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1,205 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,938 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 16,332
- born since 1882
- 1950s
- peak decade
Cathryn's 16,332 recorded births place it above 98.33% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Cathryn compares
16,332 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,297 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
Cathryn's all-time total is 43x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cathryn | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,332 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 368 | 21 | 19,840 |
Cathryn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cathryn splits its recorded history at 1954: 61% of all births land in the more recent half, 39% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1882 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1956 peak of 368 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cathryn popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1956)
- 368
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Cathryn by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (3,271 births, 20% of the file).
1950s was Cathryn's strongest decade.
3,271 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Cathryn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 74
1880s
74 births
- 1890s 183
1890s
183 births
- 1900s 242
1900s
242 births
- 1910s 981
1910s
981 births
- 1920s 1,187
1920s
1,187 births
- 1930s 798
1930s
798 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,637 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,271 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,015 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,352 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,524 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,451 births
- 2000s 1,022
2000s
1,022 births
- 2010s 492
2010s
492 births
- 2020s 103
2020s
103 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 3,271 births (20% of all-time use).
How Cathryn 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 Cathryn's total volume
Cathryn by state
Where Cathryn concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,405 | 8.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,152 | 7.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 836 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 775 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 689 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 637 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 514 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Florida | | 378 | 2.3% |
1,405 of 16,332 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Cathryn appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cathryn? ▼
Where does Cathryn sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cathryn most popular? ▼
Where is Cathryn most popular? ▼
How long has the name Cathryn been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cathryn? ▼
What to do with Cathryn's data
- Cathryn's decade-level peak was the 1950s (3,271 total births); usage has since declined to 103 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Cathryns (1,405 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cathryn
Nearby Names Like Cathryn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cathryn
Compare Cathryn side by side: Cathryn vs Catherine Cathryn vs Cathy Cathryn vs Catalina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cathryn
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cathryn: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1956)
Similar record span (~143 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, 1882–2025 (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 Cathryn 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.