Total births
41,230
Girls' name · since 1880
Katharine
Katharine has 41,230 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1982 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4772
- among girls today
- 41,230
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 73%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Katharine is the #4772 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 41,230 recorded since 1880.
Katharine has 41,230 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4772 as of the latest data, more common than 73% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- 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.
- #4772 among girls today
- 41,230 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 73% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Katharine is currently the #4772 girls' name in America, more common than 73% of girls - 41,230 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #4772
- among girls today
- 41,230
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 73%
- more common than other girls
Katharine vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#4772
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 73% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Katharine was born in this single decade.
1982
Single peak year
946 babies were named Katharine in 1982 - its busiest year on record.
How Katharine compares
41,230 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Katharine's all-time total is 108x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Katharine | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 41,230 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 946 | 48 | 19,840 |
Katharine's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Katharine's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 65% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 35%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 27 births recorded -- set against the 1982 peak of 946, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Katharine at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1982
Current rank
#4,772
Active since
1880
Katharine popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 946
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Katharine popularity over time - boys
11 total births recorded since 1984 (Katharine as boys' name)
Katharine by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Katharine's strongest decade.
7,860 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Katharine births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 896
1880s
896 births
- 1890s 1,297
1890s
1,297 births
- 1900s 1,246
1900s
1,246 births
- 1910s 2,854
1910s
2,854 births
- 1920s 2,572
1920s
2,572 births
- 1930s 1,724
1930s
1,724 births
- 1940s 2,789
1940s
2,789 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,712 births
- 1960s 3,114
1960s
3,114 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,848 births
- 1980s
1980s
7,860 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,315 births
- 2000s 2,881
2000s
2,881 births
- 2010s 915
2010s
915 births
- 2020s 207
2020s
207 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 7,860 births (19% of all-time use).
How Katharine 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 Katharine's total volume
Katharine vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Katharine by state
Where Katharine concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 3,698 | 9.0% |
| #2 | California | | 3,609 | 8.8% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 2,792 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 1,872 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,867 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Texas | | 1,675 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,615 | 3.9% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 1,483 | 3.6% |
New York share of Katharine's total US births 9.0%
Even split
3,698 of 41,230 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Katharine appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Katharine? ▼
Katharine has been given to 41,230 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #4772 as of the latest data. 946 babies were born in 1982, its single highest year.
When was Katharine most popular? ▼
Katharine was most popular in the 1980s decade with 7,860 total births. The single peak year was 1982.
Where is Katharine most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Katharine are New York (3,698 births), California (3,609 births), Pennsylvania (2,792 births).
How long has the name Katharine been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Katharine since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Katharine? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kathleen, Katherine, Kathryn, Kathy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Katharine's data
- Katharine's decade-level peak was the 1980s (7,860 total births); usage has since declined to 207 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Katharines (3,698 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 Katharine
Nearby Names Like Katharine
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Katharine
Kathleen Girl
#1099 713,645 births
Katherine Girl
#175 650,926 births
Kathryn Girl
#714 455,423 births
Kathy Girl
#2699 334,131 births
Katie Girl
#576 241,285 births
Compare Katharine side by side: Katharine vs Kathleen Katharine vs Katherine Katharine vs Kathryn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Katharine
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. "Katharine: #4772 Girls' Name - 41,230 Births, Peak 1982." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/katharine. 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 Katharine 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.