Girls' name · since 1880
Katherine
Katherine has 650,926 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1990 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #41 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #186 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 650,926
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Katherine currently ranks #186 among girls' names in America, with 650,926 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Katherine recorded 650,926 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #186 nationally today, ahead of 99% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #41 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #186 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 650,926 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Katherine ranks #41 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #186 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 650,926 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #41 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #186 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 650,926
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
Katherine's 650,926 recorded births place it above 99.94% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Katherine compares
650,926 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Katherine's all-time total is 1,731x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Katherine | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 650,926 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11,625 | 21 | 19,840 |
Katherine's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Katherine's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 70% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 30%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 502 births recorded -- set against the 1990 peak of 11,625, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Katherine popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 11,625
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Katherine popularity over time - boys
1,824 total births recorded since 1880 (Katherine as boys' name)
Katherine by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (99,175 births, 15% of the file).
1980s was Katherine's strongest decade.
99,175 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Katherine births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6,922
1880s
6,922 births
- 1890s 9,408
1890s
9,408 births
- 1900s 12,105
1900s
12,105 births
- 1910s 36,884
1910s
36,884 births
- 1920s
1920s
42,745 births
- 1930s 25,193
1930s
25,193 births
- 1940s
1940s
39,912 births
- 1950s
1950s
66,855 births
- 1960s
1960s
50,619 births
- 1970s
1970s
54,048 births
- 1980s
1980s
99,175 births
- 1990s
1990s
96,885 births
- 2000s
2000s
65,356 births
- 2010s 34,144
2010s
34,144 births
- 2020s 10,675
2020s
10,675 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 99,175 births (15% of all-time use).
How Katherine 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 Katherine's total volume
Katherine by state
Where Katherine concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 60,687 | 9.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 50,308 | 7.7% |
| #3 | Texas | | 39,260 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 32,014 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 27,294 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 26,951 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 23,365 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 20,920 | 3.2% |
60,687 of 650,926 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Katherine appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Katherine? ▼
Where does Katherine sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Katherine most popular? ▼
Where is Katherine most popular? ▼
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What to do with Katherine's data
- Katherine's decade-level peak was the 1980s (99,175 total births); usage has since declined to 10,675 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Katherines (60,687 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 Katherine
Nearby Names Like Katherine
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Katherine
Compare Katherine side by side: Katherine vs Kathleen Katherine vs Kathryn Katherine vs Kathy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Katherine
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Katherine: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1990)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Katherine 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.