Kathryn
Kathryn was given to 381 girls in 2025, #729 among girls’ names; 456,515 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 312,000 Americans named Kathryn and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (68% of everyone recorded); the median is 49 years old and half are between 35 and 69.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Kathryn by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Kathryn mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Kathryn is “a female given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Catherine.”
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Kathryn?
#729 among girls’ names, 2025
Kathryn fell from #318 in 2015 to #729 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 0.57 to 0.24 per 1,000.
8,517 babies in 1952, the peak
Kathryn peaked in 1952, when 8,517 babies were given it (8,504 girls, #48 among girls’ names). The 381 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 381 | #729 | 0.24 |
| 2024 | 393 | #715 | 0.24 |
| 2023 | 432 | #678 | 0.27 |
| 2022 | 452 | #655 | 0.28 |
| 2021 | 510 | #589 | 0.31 |
| 2020 | 574 | #525 | 0.36 |
| 2019 | 651 | #484 | 0.39 |
| 2018 | 699 | #452 | 0.41 |
| 2017 | 748 | #427 | 0.43 |
| 2016 | 839 | #396 | 0.47 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,021 | #318 | 0.57 |
| 2014 | 1,118 | #293 | 0.63 |
| 2013 | 1,184 | #270 | 0.67 |
| 2012 | 1,230 | #264 | 0.70 |
| 2011 | 1,339 | #236 | 0.76 |
| 2010 | 1,370 | #230 | 0.77 |
| 2009 | 1,520 | #213 | 0.83 |
| 2008 | 1,782 | #190 | 0.94 |
| 2007 | 2,216 | #163 | 1.2 |
| 2006 | 2,420 | #143 | 1.3 |
| 2005 | 2,579 | #125 | 1.4 |
| 2004 | 2,757 | #122 | 1.5 |
| 2003 | 2,948 | #117 | 1.6 |
| 2002 | 3,109 | #108 | 1.7 |
| 2001 | 3,332 | #97 | 1.9 |
| 2000 | 3,644 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 1999 | 3,590 | #91 | 2.0 |
| 1998 | 3,703 | #89 | 2.1 |
| 1997 | 3,873 | #86 | 2.2 |
| 1996 | 4,102 | #87 | 2.3 |
| 1995 | 4,328 | #83 | 2.5 |
| 1994 | 4,620 | #79 | 2.6 |
| 1993 | 5,092 | #68 | 2.8 |
| 1992 | 5,686 | #60 | 3.1 |
| 1991 | 5,832 | #57 | 3.1 |
| 1990 | 6,353 | #57 | 3.3 |
| 1989 | 6,294 | #58 | 3.4 |
| 1988 | 6,342 | #55 | 3.6 |
| 1987 | 6,238 | #51 | 3.6 |
| 1986 | 6,393 | #48 | 3.7 |
| 1985 | 6,634 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1984 | 6,538 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1983 | 6,370 | #50 | 3.8 |
| 1982 | 6,284 | #48 | 3.7 |
| 1981 | 5,823 | #48 | 3.5 |
| 1980 | 5,527 | #50 | 3.3 |
| 1979 | 5,312 | #50 | 3.3 |
| 1978 | 4,808 | #57 | 3.1 |
| 1977 | 3,964 | #70 | 2.6 |
| 1976 | 3,262 | #88 | 2.2 |
| 1975 | 2,947 | #99 | 2.0 |
| 1974 | 2,991 | #98 | 2.0 |
| 1973 | 2,885 | #107 | 2.0 |
| 1972 | 3,127 | #103 | 2.1 |
| 1971 | 3,419 | #111 | 2.1 |
| 1970 | 3,719 | #104 | 2.1 |
| 1969 | 3,617 | #104 | 2.1 |
| 1968 | 3,561 | #100 | 2.2 |
| 1967 | 3,695 | #92 | 2.2 |
| 1966 | 4,008 | #86 | 2.4 |
| 1965 | 4,157 | #87 | 2.4 |
| 1964 | 4,924 | #84 | 2.6 |
| 1963 | 4,701 | #93 | 2.4 |
| 1962 | 5,107 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1961 | 5,226 | #93 | 2.6 |
| 1960 | 5,868 | #82 | 2.9 |
| 1959 | 6,746 | #69 | 3.3 |
| 1958 | 7,324 | #58 | 3.6 |
| 1957 | 7,211 | #65 | 3.5 |
| 1956 | 7,594 | #60 | 3.8 |
| 1955 | 7,640 | #59 | 3.9 |
| 1954 | 8,137 | #51 | 4.2 |
| 1953 | 8,324 | #48 | 4.4 |
| 1952 | 8,504 | #48 | 4.6 |
| 1951 | 8,460 | #45 | 4.7 |
| 1950 | 7,863 | #46 | 4.6 |
| 1949 | 7,184 | #52 | 4.2 |
| 1948 | 6,177 | #54 | 3.6 |
| 1947 | 6,091 | #55 | 3.4 |
| 1946 | 4,999 | #63 | 3.2 |
| 1945 | 3,971 | #65 | 3.0 |
| 1944 | 3,855 | #68 | 2.9 |
| 1943 | 3,647 | #75 | 2.6 |
| 1942 | 3,350 | #82 | 2.5 |
| 1941 | 2,869 | #87 | 2.4 |
| 1940 | 2,438 | #103 | 2.1 |
| 1939 | 2,379 | #106 | 2.2 |
| 1938 | 2,282 | #114 | 2.1 |
| 1937 | 2,326 | #108 | 2.2 |
| 1936 | 2,110 | #113 | 2.0 |
| 1935 | 2,127 | #111 | 2.0 |
| 1934 | 2,258 | #108 | 2.2 |
| 1933 | 2,121 | #108 | 2.1 |
| 1932 | 2,263 | #107 | 2.1 |
| 1931 | 2,202 | #108 | 2.1 |
| 1930 | 2,515 | #101 | 2.2 |
| 1929 | 2,434 | #104 | 2.2 |
| 1928 | 2,681 | #99 | 2.3 |
| 1927 | 2,933 | #90 | 2.5 |
| 1926 | 3,094 | #87 | 2.6 |
| 1925 | 3,262 | #88 | 2.7 |
| 1924 | 3,598 | #81 | 2.9 |
| 1923 | 3,714 | #72 | 3.1 |
| 1922 | 3,792 | #73 | 3.2 |
| 1921 | 4,201 | #64 | 3.4 |
| 1920 | 4,082 | #67 | 3.4 |
| 1919 | 3,825 | #66 | 3.4 |
| 1918 | 4,068 | #63 | 3.5 |
| 1917 | 3,984 | #60 | 3.7 |
| 1916 | 3,933 | #60 | 3.8 |
| 1915 | 3,778 | #60 | 3.8 |
| 1914 | 2,901 | #63 | 3.8 |
| 1913 | 2,246 | #66 | 3.6 |
| 1912 | 1,905 | #71 | 3.4 |
| 1911 | 1,397 | #73 | 3.3 |
| 1910 | 1,198 | #80 | 3.0 |
| 1909 | 1,138 | #74 | 3.3 |
| 1908 | 1,058 | #77 | 3.2 |
| 1907 | 864 | #88 | 2.7 |
| 1906 | 911 | #78 | 3.1 |
| 1905 | 788 | #86 | 2.7 |
| 1904 | 787 | #83 | 2.9 |
| 1903 | 729 | #86 | 2.8 |
| 1902 | 717 | #87 | 2.7 |
| 1901 | 620 | #90 | 2.6 |
| 1900 | 721 | #93 | 2.4 |
| 1899 | 621 | #88 | 2.7 |
| 1898 | 671 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1897 | 570 | #93 | 2.4 |
| 1896 | 625 | #88 | 2.6 |
| 1895 | 585 | #90 | 2.5 |
| 1894 | 520 | #96 | 2.3 |
| 1893 | 534 | #90 | 2.5 |
| 1892 | 549 | #88 | 2.6 |
| 1891 | 504 | #87 | 2.7 |
| 1890 | 474 | #91 | 2.5 |
| 1889 | 415 | #94 | 2.3 |
| 1888 | 446 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1887 | 384 | #87 | 2.6 |
| 1886 | 383 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1885 | 320 | #93 | 2.4 |
| 1884 | 344 | #88 | 2.7 |
| 1883 | 290 | #93 | 2.6 |
| 1882 | 272 | #96 | 2.5 |
| 1881 | 218 | #98 | 2.4 |
| 1880 | 204 | #103 | 2.2 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Kathryn a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Kathryn has been given almost only to girls: 1,092 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Kathryn: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Kathryn, and how old are they?
312,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 68% of the 456,515 Americans ever recorded as Kathryn. The median Kathryn alive today is 49 years old; half are between 35 and 69.
The 2020 Census counted 316,032 people named Kathryn (315,806 women and girls, 226 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 331,082 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 15,600 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 98,900 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 56,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 90,600 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 41,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 8,950 |
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 Kathryn born?
The states with the most babies named Kathryn are Pennsylvania, California and New York, with 22% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 35,211 | #356 | 1.3× |
| California | 32,601 | #1,069 | 0.8× |
| New York | 29,650 | #1,005 | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 25,830 | #769 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 25,667 | #656 | 1.2× |
| Texas | 23,685 | #1,137 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 19,604 | #759 | 1.1× |
| Wisconsin | 13,315 | #547 | 1.3× |
| Minnesota | 13,098 | #444 | 1.4× |
| Indiana | 12,178 | #595 | 1.1× |
Where Kathryn is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Kathryn is most over-represented in Minnesota: 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 Kathryn 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 501,539 babies since 1880, Kathryn is the most given (91% of them). In 2025 it was given to 381 of their 468 babies (81%), again the most given.
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 Kathryn
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 Kathryn and names like it
- Compare Kathryn and CathrynBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sKathryn peaked in 1952.
- Pennsylvania’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Kathryn since 1910.
- The top names of 1952The year the most babies were named Kathryn.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Kathryn alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with KMost given first.