Catherine

Did you know?

A few things about Catherine you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Catherine

Catherine Zeta-Jones

British actress (born 1969)

Choose Catherine and your child shares a first name with Catherine Zeta-Jones, a British actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Catherine, like who?” Catherine Zeta-Jones's Wikipedia article is available in 102 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Catherine Zeta-Jones on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,653 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Catherine, 972 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Catherine would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCatherine has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Catherines, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1917, when it ranked #18. Today it's #313, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowCatherine was 3.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 478 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,653.
• 🍂TrendCatherine has slipped 46 places over the last five years and now sits at #313. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedCatherine is most popular in Washington, D.C., where it ranks #93, followed by Alabama (#151) and Kentucky (#172). It's in the top 1,000 in 38 states.
• 💬MeaningCatherine is a French form of Katherine, which means “possibly pure”. Our records link it to English and Greek roots.

About the name Catherine

Catherine is a girl name of English and Greek origin meaning “possibly pure”. It has 9 letters and 3 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-ine”. US birth records list Catherine for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1917, when it ranked #18 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #313, with 972 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek names