The first name Catharine
A girl’s name from Greek.
2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Greek origin
A female given name from Ancient Greek, of less common usage, variant of Catherine.
A form of Catherine.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Catharine last appeared in the official list in 2019, given to 3 girls. It peaked in 1996, with 14 births (#1,296).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Catharine with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Catharine at birth, 1880–2025
In 2024, 7 girls born in the United States were named Catharine, the 12,417th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1915, when 281 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Catharine
11 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Catharine MacKinnonAmerican feminist and legal activist, born 1946
- Catharine MacaulayEnglish historian, philosopher, feminist (1731-1791)
- Catharine TrotterEnglish novelist, dramatist, philosopher (1674-1749)
- Catharine Parr TraillEnglish-Canadian author and botanical artist (1802-1899)
- Catharine SedgwickAmerican writer 1789-1867
- Catharine GarmanyAstronomer, born 1946
- Catharine van TussenbroekDutch physician and writer, editor (1852–1925)
- Catharine MacfarlaneAmerican obstetrician and gynecologist, 1877–1969
- Sarah PaulsonAmerican actress, born 1974
- Drew Gilpin FaustAmerican historian and board member, director at Goldman Sachs, born 1947
- Kate StarbirdAmerican computer scientist and basketball player, born 1975
More Greek girls’ names
Questions
- What is the origin of the name Catharine?
- Catharine comes from Greek.
- How popular is the name Catharine?
- In 2019, 3 girls born in England and Wales were named Catharine, ranking 5,591st. Its peak was 1996, with 14 births.
- Is Catharine a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 12,994 US babies named Catharine since 1880 were girls.
- When was Catharine most popular?
- 1915 in the United States, when 281 babies were named Catharine, its highest rank at 357th.
- What name is Catharine a form of?
- Catharine is a form of Catherine.