The first name Catherine
A girl’s name from Greek meaning “each of the two”, “pure”.
Pronounced /ˈkæθ(ə)ɹɪn/ 3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Greek origin
Catherine means “each of the two”, “pure” in Greek.
Borrowed from French Catherine, from Ancient Greek Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterínē), *Ἑκατερίνη (*Hekaterínē), of debated meaning, possibly from ἑκάτερος (hekáteros, “each of the two”), or from the name of the goddess Hecate. The apheresis of the first syllable as well as the spelling with ⟨th⟩ in Latin languages, German and English, is due to a folk etymology, dating from Roman times, which associated the name with the Ancient Greek καθαρός (katharós, “pure”). The name belonged to a 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on the wheel from where the term Catherine wheel originates.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 66 girls were named Catherine, making it the 590th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 880 births (#68).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Catherine with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Catherine at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 972 girls born in the United States were named Catherine, the 314th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1956, when 12,056 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.
Catherine in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Catherine in French too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Catherine
293 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Catherine II of RussiaEighth Emperor of Russia, called the Great, r. 1762–1796 (lived 1729-1796)
- Catherine Zeta-JonesBritish actress (born 1969)
- Catherine DeneuveFrench actress (born 1943)
- Catherine O'HaraCanadian-American actress (1954–2026)
- Catherine of AlexandriaEgyptian missionary, saint depicted with a wheel, 282–305
- Catherine HowardFifth wife of Henry VIII of England, 1524–1542
- Catherine AshtonBritish politician (born 1956)
- Catherine KeenerAmerican actress, born 1959
- Catherine Samba-PanzaCentral African politician, born 1954
- Catherine ColemanAmerican astronaut, chemist, United States Air Force officer, born 1960
- Catherine TateEnglish comedian, actress and writer, born 1968
- Catherine HardwickeAmerican film director, screenwriter and architect, born 1955
More Greek girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Catherine mean?
- Catherine means “each of the two”, “pure” in Greek.
- What is the origin of the name Catherine?
- Borrowed from French Catherine, from Ancient Greek Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterínē), *Ἑκατερίνη (*Hekaterínē), of debated meaning, possibly from ἑκάτερος (hekáteros, “each of the two”), or from the name of the goddess Hecate. The apheresis of the first syllable as well as the spelling with ⟨th⟩ in Latin…
- How popular is the name Catherine?
- In 2025, 66 girls born in England and Wales were named Catherine, ranking 590th. Its peak was 1996, with 880 births.
- What are nicknames for Catherine?
- Common nicknames for Catherine include Katie, Cathy, Cath, Cate, Cathi, Cathie.
- Is Catherine a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 669,611 US babies named Catherine since 1880 were girls.
- When was Catherine most popular?
- 1956 in the United States, when 12,056 babies were named Catherine, its highest rank at 28th.
- How do you pronounce Catherine?
- Catherine is /ˈkæθ(ə)ɹɪn/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Catherine?
- Catharine, Katharine, Katherine, Kathryn, Catheryn and Cathryn.