Girls' name · since 1963
Katja
Katja has 949 recorded births since 1963 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1998 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #7,791 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,239 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 949
- born since 1963
- 1990s
- peak decade
Katja currently ranks #15239 among girls' names in America, with 949 babies recorded since 1963.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Katja has been recorded 949 times among girls since 1963, currently ranked #15239 nationally and more common than 12% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1963 to 2025.
- #7,791 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #15,239 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 949 born since 1963
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Katja ranks #7,791 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #15,239 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 949 born since 1963, peaking in the 1990s.
- #7,791 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,239 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 949
- born since 1963
- 1990s
- peak decade
Katja's 949 recorded births place it above 89.22% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Katja compares
949 Top 33% higher than 67% 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
Katja's all-time total is 152% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Katja | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 949 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 48 | 21 | 19,840 |
Katja's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Katja's SSA record in two at 1995 and the more recent half accounts for 63% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 37%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1998 peak of 48, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Katja popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1963–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 48
- Annual births at peak, across 63 years of records
Katja by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (253 births, 27% of the file).
1990s was Katja's strongest decade.
253 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Katja births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 51
1960s
51 births
- 1970s
1970s
107 births
- 1980s 88
1980s
88 births
- 1990s
1990s
253 births
- 2000s
2000s
247 births
- 2010s
2010s
151 births
- 2020s 52
2020s
52 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 253 births (27% of all-time use).
How Katja 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 Katja's total volume
Katja by state
Where Katja concentrates geographically, total births since 1963
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 46 | 4.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 8 | 0.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 5 | 0.5% |
46 of 949 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Katja? ▼
Where does Katja sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Katja most popular? ▼
Where is Katja most popular? ▼
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What to do with Katja's data
- Katja's decade-level peak was the 1990s (253 total births); usage has since declined to 52 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Katjas (46 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 Katja
Nearby Names Like Katja
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Katja
Compare Katja side by side: Katja vs Kathleen Katja vs Katherine Katja vs Kathryn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Katja
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Katja: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~62 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, 1963–2025 (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 Katja 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.