Katherine
Katherine was given to 1,670 girls in 2025, #186 among girls’ names; 652,750 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 478,000 Americans named Katherine and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (73% of everyone recorded); the median is 40 years old and half are between 28 and 58.
Katherine is the #39 most common first name among living American women and girls, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Katherine by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Katherine mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Katherine is “a female given name from Ancient Greek, a popular spelling variant of Catherine.”
/ˈkæθ(ə)ɹɪn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Katherine?
#186 among girls’ names, 2025
Katherine fell from #84 in 2015 to #186 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 1.9 to 1.0 per 1,000.
11,657 babies in 1990, the peak
Katherine peaked in 1990, when 11,657 babies were given it (11,625 girls, #26 among girls’ names). The 1,670 births of 2025 are 14% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,670 | #186 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | 1,746 | #175 | 1.1 |
| 2023 | 1,705 | #170 | 1.1 |
| 2022 | 1,742 | #166 | 1.1 |
| 2021 | 1,821 | #157 | 1.1 |
| 2020 | 1,991 | #136 | 1.2 |
| 2019 | 2,450 | #120 | 1.5 |
| 2018 | 2,677 | #112 | 1.6 |
| 2017 | 2,861 | #105 | 1.7 |
| 2016 | 3,276 | #91 | 1.8 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3,454 | #84 | 1.9 |
| 2014 | 3,691 | #82 | 2.1 |
| 2013 | 3,723 | #77 | 2.1 |
| 2012 | 3,953 | #64 | 2.2 |
| 2011 | 4,189 | #61 | 2.4 |
| 2010 | 3,870 | #70 | 2.2 |
| 2009 | 4,432 | #60 | 2.4 |
| 2008 | 5,350 | #45 | 2.8 |
| 2007 | 5,818 | #39 | 3.0 |
| 2006 | 6,295 | #37 | 3.3 |
| 2005 | 6,392 | #36 | 3.5 |
| 2004 | 6,742 | #35 | 3.7 |
| 2003 | 7,126 | #35 | 3.9 |
| 2002 | 7,212 | #36 | 4.0 |
| 2001 | 7,880 | #35 | 4.4 |
| 2000 | 8,109 | #33 | 4.5 |
| 1999 | 7,935 | #36 | 4.5 |
| 1998 | 8,207 | #33 | 4.6 |
| 1997 | 8,518 | #32 | 4.9 |
| 1996 | 8,877 | #31 | 5.1 |
| 1995 | 8,987 | #30 | 5.1 |
| 1994 | 9,586 | #30 | 5.4 |
| 1993 | 10,506 | #29 | 5.8 |
| 1992 | 11,149 | #27 | 6.0 |
| 1991 | 11,495 | #25 | 6.1 |
| 1990 | 11,625 | #26 | 6.1 |
| 1989 | 11,415 | #26 | 6.2 |
| 1988 | 11,154 | #27 | 6.3 |
| 1987 | 10,438 | #28 | 6.0 |
| 1986 | 10,570 | #28 | 6.2 |
| 1985 | 10,128 | #32 | 5.9 |
| 1984 | 10,157 | #30 | 6.0 |
| 1983 | 9,684 | #34 | 5.8 |
| 1982 | 9,179 | #36 | 5.4 |
| 1981 | 8,433 | #39 | 5.1 |
| 1980 | 8,017 | #35 | 4.8 |
| 1979 | 7,464 | #36 | 4.6 |
| 1978 | 6,625 | #38 | 4.3 |
| 1977 | 6,030 | #44 | 3.9 |
| 1976 | 5,051 | #57 | 3.4 |
| 1975 | 4,851 | #58 | 3.3 |
| 1974 | 4,530 | #62 | 3.1 |
| 1973 | 4,420 | #64 | 3.0 |
| 1972 | 4,514 | #69 | 3.0 |
| 1971 | 5,120 | #67 | 3.1 |
| 1970 | 5,443 | #67 | 3.1 |
| 1969 | 5,167 | #70 | 3.1 |
| 1968 | 4,716 | #75 | 2.9 |
| 1967 | 4,560 | #76 | 2.8 |
| 1966 | 4,492 | #78 | 2.7 |
| 1965 | 4,706 | #79 | 2.7 |
| 1964 | 5,074 | #82 | 2.7 |
| 1963 | 5,124 | #87 | 2.7 |
| 1962 | 5,272 | #84 | 2.7 |
| 1961 | 5,632 | #86 | 2.8 |
| 1960 | 5,876 | #81 | 2.9 |
| 1959 | 6,139 | #79 | 3.0 |
| 1958 | 6,433 | #74 | 3.2 |
| 1957 | 6,637 | #72 | 3.2 |
| 1956 | 7,082 | #67 | 3.5 |
| 1955 | 7,239 | #65 | 3.7 |
| 1954 | 6,740 | #64 | 3.5 |
| 1953 | 6,559 | #63 | 3.5 |
| 1952 | 6,891 | #59 | 3.7 |
| 1951 | 6,930 | #55 | 3.8 |
| 1950 | 6,205 | #58 | 3.6 |
| 1949 | 6,039 | #59 | 3.5 |
| 1948 | 5,169 | #68 | 3.0 |
| 1947 | 4,884 | #76 | 2.8 |
| 1946 | 4,197 | #78 | 2.7 |
| 1945 | 3,393 | #82 | 2.6 |
| 1944 | 3,525 | #77 | 2.7 |
| 1943 | 3,616 | #78 | 2.6 |
| 1942 | 3,376 | #81 | 2.5 |
| 1941 | 3,004 | #85 | 2.5 |
| 1940 | 2,709 | #92 | 2.4 |
| 1939 | 2,476 | #101 | 2.3 |
| 1938 | 2,575 | #105 | 2.3 |
| 1937 | 2,484 | #103 | 2.3 |
| 1936 | 2,355 | #100 | 2.3 |
| 1935 | 2,340 | #103 | 2.2 |
| 1934 | 2,388 | #101 | 2.3 |
| 1933 | 2,330 | #100 | 2.3 |
| 1932 | 2,588 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1931 | 2,624 | #92 | 2.5 |
| 1930 | 3,033 | #85 | 2.7 |
| 1929 | 3,016 | #84 | 2.7 |
| 1928 | 3,398 | #75 | 2.9 |
| 1927 | 3,724 | #73 | 3.1 |
| 1926 | 3,834 | #72 | 3.2 |
| 1925 | 4,240 | #61 | 3.5 |
| 1924 | 4,695 | #59 | 3.8 |
| 1923 | 4,579 | #60 | 3.8 |
| 1922 | 4,827 | #54 | 4.0 |
| 1921 | 5,156 | #49 | 4.2 |
| 1920 | 5,276 | #45 | 4.4 |
| 1919 | 4,846 | #51 | 4.3 |
| 1918 | 5,191 | #50 | 4.5 |
| 1917 | 4,956 | #49 | 4.6 |
| 1916 | 4,801 | #51 | 4.6 |
| 1915 | 4,488 | #49 | 4.6 |
| 1914 | 3,652 | #48 | 4.8 |
| 1913 | 2,794 | #54 | 4.5 |
| 1912 | 2,546 | #53 | 4.6 |
| 1911 | 1,858 | #55 | 4.4 |
| 1910 | 1,752 | #57 | 4.4 |
| 1909 | 1,557 | #53 | 4.5 |
| 1908 | 1,430 | #55 | 4.3 |
| 1907 | 1,413 | #55 | 4.4 |
| 1906 | 1,277 | #56 | 4.3 |
| 1905 | 1,190 | #64 | 4.1 |
| 1904 | 1,128 | #63 | 4.1 |
| 1903 | 1,015 | #66 | 3.9 |
| 1902 | 1,004 | #68 | 3.8 |
| 1901 | 890 | #71 | 3.7 |
| 1900 | 1,201 | #65 | 4.0 |
| 1899 | 942 | #65 | 4.0 |
| 1898 | 914 | #69 | 3.5 |
| 1897 | 962 | #65 | 4.1 |
| 1896 | 1,047 | #61 | 4.4 |
| 1895 | 968 | #65 | 4.1 |
| 1894 | 948 | #64 | 4.3 |
| 1893 | 963 | #62 | 4.5 |
| 1892 | 961 | #60 | 4.5 |
| 1891 | 803 | #62 | 4.3 |
| 1890 | 900 | #59 | 4.7 |
| 1889 | 889 | #56 | 5.0 |
| 1888 | 893 | #56 | 5.0 |
| 1887 | 794 | #53 | 5.4 |
| 1886 | 744 | #54 | 5.1 |
| 1885 | 751 | #50 | 5.6 |
| 1884 | 671 | #55 | 5.2 |
| 1883 | 583 | #56 | 5.2 |
| 1882 | 591 | #52 | 5.5 |
| 1881 | 504 | #52 | 5.5 |
| 1880 | 502 | #53 | 5.5 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Katherine a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Katherine has been given almost only to girls: 1,824 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Katherine: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Katherine, and how old are they?
478,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 73% of the 652,750 Americans ever recorded as Katherine. The median Katherine alive today is 40 years old; half are between 28 and 58.
The 2020 Census counted 470,588 people named Katherine (470,184 women and girls, 404 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 490,575 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 15,800 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 88,800 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 80,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 159,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 101,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 32,600 |
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 Katherine born?
The states with the most babies named Katherine are Texas, California and Florida, with 30% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 229 | #139 | 0.8× |
| California | 160 | #207 | 1.0× |
| Florida | 101 | #172 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 81 | #124 | 0.9× |
| New York | 77 | #225 | 1.0× |
| Ohio | 59 | #187 | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 59 | #171 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 54 | #189 | 1.0× |
| Tennessee | 52 | #144 | 1.0× |
| Virginia | 51 | #155 | 1.3× |
Where Katherine is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Katherine is most over-represented in District of Columbia: since 1910 it was given 1.4 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 Katherine 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 1,821,033 babies since 1880, Katherine is the second most given (36% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,670 of their 3,308 babies (50%), the 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 Katherine
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 Katherine and names like it
- Compare Katherine and CatherineBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1990sKatherine peaked in 1990.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Katherine since 1910.
- The top names of 1990The year the most babies were named Katherine.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Katherine alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with KMost given first.