Katharine

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Katharine

Katharine Hepburn

American actress (1907–2003)

Choose Katharine and your child shares a first name with Katharine Hepburn, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Katharine, like who?” Katharine Hepburn's Wikipedia article is available in 129 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Katharine Hepburn on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios; Restored by Adam Cuerden, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 59,524 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Katharine, 27 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Katharine would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryKatharine has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Katharines, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1880, when it ranked #171. Today it's #4,878, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowKatharine was 12× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 5,018 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 59,524.
• 🍂TrendKatharine has slipped 1,479 places over the last five years and now sits at #4,878. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningKatharine is an English form of Katherine, which means “pure”.

About the name Katharine

Katharine is a girl name meaning “pure”. It has 9 letters and 3 syllables, starting with K and ending in “-ine”. US birth records list Katharine for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked #171 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #4,878, with 27 babies.