Katherine is a moderately popular girls' name in United States, ranking #186 in 2025 with 1,670 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 1996 with 8,878 births ranking #31. Since 1996, the popularity has decreased by 81.2%. In 2025, approximately 1 in every 962 girls born was named Katherine. STABLE Recent data shows the name is currently stable.
Katherine is a long-established classic usually understood to mean 'pure'. It is elegant, steady, and one of the most enduring formal girls' names in English.
The name spread widely in Christian Europe through saints and royal use, which helped create a large family of related forms in many languages. Its history gives it both familiarity and depth.