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Katherine

in the US

There are 311,352 people with the first name "Katherine" in the United States.

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Ranking in the US

NameRank
Katherine 129
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  1. is 125th most common Jane
  2. is 126th most common Henry
  3. is 127th most common Tammy
  4. is 128th most common Nicole
  5. is 129th most common Katherine
  6. is 130th most common Randy
  7. is 131st most common Ryan
  8. is 132nd most common Arthur
  9. is 133rd most common Beverly

Most Common Last Names for Katherine

Smith, Johnson, Brown, Williams, Jones, Miller, Davis, Anderson, Wilson, Moore

Meaning & History

(female) English form of the name of a saint martyred at Alexandria in 307. The story has it that she was condemned to be broken on the wheel for her Christian belief. However, the wheel miraculously fell apart, and so she was beheaded instead. There were many elaborations on this story, which was one of the most popular in early Christian mythology, and she has been the object of a vast popular cult. The earliest sources that mention her are in Greek and give the name in the form Aikaterinē. The name is of unknown etymology; the suggestion that it may be derived from Hēcatē, the pagan goddess of magic and enchantment, is not convincing. From an early date, it was associated with the Greek adjective katharos ‘pure’. This led to spellings with -th- and to a change in the middle vowel (see Katharine). Several later saints also bore the name, including the mystic St Katherine of Siena (1347–80) who both led a contemplative life and played a role in the affairs of state of her day. Katherine is also a royal name: in England it was borne by the formidable and popular Katherine of Aragon (1485–1536), the first wife of Henry VIII, as well as by the wives of Henry V and Charles II.

Variants: Katharine, Kath(e)ryn, Katharyn, Kath(e)rin, Catherine, Catharine, Cathryn.

Short forms: Kate, Kath, Cath, Cate.

Pet forms: Kathy, Kathie, Kat(e)y, Kati(e), Kit(ty), Cathy.

Cognates: Irish: Caitríona, Caitrín, Catraoine, Caitlín. Scottish Gaelic: Catriona, Ca(i)trìona. Welsh: Catrin. German: Kat(h)arine, Katrine. Dutch: Katrien, Katrijn. Danish, Norwegian, Swedish: Katarina. French: Catherine. Spanish: Catalina. Catalan: Caterina. Portuguese: Catarina. Italian: Caterina. Greek: Ekateríni. Russian: Yekaterina; Katerina (popular form). Polish: Katarzyna. Czech: Kateřina. Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian: Katarina. Bulgarian: Ekatarina. Finnish: Kaarina. Hungarian: Katalin.

Recent Searches for "Katherine" in the US

Since June 2009
71,073

Most Popular Search

Katherine Smith (913 searches)
Source: Current searches and listings for US adults on WhitePages.

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