Katherine is a feminine given name of Greek origin. It comes from the Greek word "katharos", which means pure or clear. The name was popularized by Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a Christian martyr who lived in the fourth century AD. According to legend, she refused to marry unless her husband could answer difficult questions posed by fifty philosophers, which he did with God's help. This impressed the emperor Maxentius so much that he made Katherine his wife. However, when she converted him and his daughter to Christianity, they were both martyred for their beliefs.
The name Katherine has been popular throughout history, particularly in Europe. In England, it was one of the most common girls' names during the Middle Ages. Variations of the name include Catherine, Kathleen, Kathryn, Katherina, Caitlin, and Katya among others. Today, Katherine remains a classic choice for parents looking for a timeless yet elegant name for their daughter.
In literature, notable characters named Katherine include Catherine Earnshaw from Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" and Catherine Morland from Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey". The name has also been used by several celebrities such as actresses Kate Hudson and Kate Winslet, singer-songwriter Kate Bush, and former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (whose birth name was Jacqueline Bouvier).
The name Katherine has been popular among parents in the United States since the late 19th century. In 1880, there were 502 births of girls named Katherine, and this number steadily increased over the following decades.
Between 1880 and 1900, the annual number of Katherine births fluctuated between 502 and 1201, with a significant increase in 1900. The trend continued to rise in the early 20th century, reaching 2546 births in 1912 and peaking at 5276 births in 1920.
After World War II, Katherine remained popular, with over 3000 births each year from 1946 to 1953. The name reached its peak popularity during the late 1950s and early 1960s, with over 7000 births annually between 1955 and 1962.
However, Katherine's popularity began to decline in the mid-1960s, dropping below 5000 births per year by 1966. The trend continued throughout the remainder of the century, with fewer than 3000 births annually from 1974 onwards.
Despite this decline in popularity, Katherine remained a consistent choice among parents in recent years. Between 2011 and 2022, there were an average of approximately 2500 births each year for girls named Katherine in the United States.
In total, between 1880 and 2023, there have been 647,473 births of girls named Katherine in the United States. This demonstrates that Katherine has been a beloved and enduring name choice among American parents throughout much of the past century and a half.