Girls' name · since 1880
Kathryn
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 455,423 babies named Kathryn, peaking in 1952. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #75 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #729 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 455,423
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Kathryn currently ranks #729 among girls' names in America, with 455,423 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Kathryn recorded 455,423 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #729 nationally today, ahead of 96% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #75 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #729 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 455,423 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kathryn ranks #75 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #729 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 455,423 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #75 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #729 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 455,423
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Kathryn's 455,423 recorded births place it above 99.89% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Kathryn compares
455,423 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
Kathryn's all-time total is 1,211x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kathryn | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 455,423 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,504 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kathryn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kathryn splits its recorded history at 1953: 62% of all births land in the more recent half, 38% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1880 (204 births) -- compare that against the 1952 peak of 8,504 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kathryn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1952)
- 8,504
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Kathryn popularity over time - boys
1,092 total births recorded since 1898 (Kathryn as boys' name)
Kathryn by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (77,803 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Kathryn's strongest decade.
77,803 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Kathryn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,276
1880s
3,276 births
- 1890s 5,653
1890s
5,653 births
- 1900s 8,333
1900s
8,333 births
- 1910s 29,235
1910s
29,235 births
- 1920s
1920s
33,791 births
- 1930s 22,583
1930s
22,583 births
- 1940s
1940s
44,581 births
- 1950s
1950s
77,803 births
- 1960s
1960s
44,864 births
- 1970s
1970s
36,434 births
- 1980s
1980s
62,443 births
- 1990s
1990s
47,179 births
- 2000s 26,307
2000s
26,307 births
- 2010s 10,199
2010s
10,199 births
- 2020s 2,742
2020s
2,742 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 77,803 births (17% of all-time use).
How Kathryn 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 Kathryn's total volume
Kathryn by state
Where Kathryn concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 35,211 | 7.7% |
| #2 | California | | 32,601 | 7.2% |
| #3 | New York | | 29,650 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 25,830 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 25,667 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Texas | | 23,685 | 5.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 19,604 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 13,315 | 2.9% |
35,211 of 455,423 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kathryn appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kathryn? ▼
Where does Kathryn sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kathryn most popular? ▼
Where is Kathryn most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kathryn been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kathryn? ▼
What to do with Kathryn's data
- Kathryn's decade-level peak was the 1950s (77,803 total births); usage has since declined to 2,742 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Kathryns (35,211 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kathryn
Nearby Names Like Kathryn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kathryn
Compare Kathryn side by side: Kathryn vs Kathleen Kathryn vs Katherine Kathryn vs Kathy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kathryn
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kathryn: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1952)
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 Kathryn 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.