Catarina
A feminine name of Spanish or Portuguese origin meaning "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 3,021 living Americans carry the first name Catarina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Catarina today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Catarina births was 2023 (118 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Catarina. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
3.0K
~ 1 in 113,457 Americans
Peak year
2023
118 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,892
Tracked since 1888
Popularity
Catarina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Catarina from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 689 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Catarina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Catarina by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Catarina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Catarinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Catarina, while Virginia, North Carolina, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 109 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Catarina
Catarina is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from the word "katharos", meaning "pure" or "clear". It is a variant of the name Katherine, which was introduced to the Greek-speaking world through Christianity.
The name Catarina gained popularity in the Byzantine Empire, where it was used as a Christian name. It later spread to other parts of Europe, particularly in regions with Greek cultural influence, such as Italy and Spain.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Catarina can be found in the writings of the 4th-century Christian scholar St. Jerome, who mentioned a woman named Catarina in his writings.
In the Middle Ages, the name Catarina became more widespread across Europe, particularly in Italy, where it was used by several notable figures. One of the most famous was Caterina da Siena (1347-1380), an Italian philosopher, theologian, and mystic who was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Another notable figure named Catarina was Catarina de' Medici (1519-1589), an Italian noblewoman who became the Queen of France. She was a prominent figure during the French Renaissance and played a significant role in the religious wars that plagued France during her reign.
In Spain, the name Catarina was popularized by Catalina de Aragón (1485-1536), the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. Despite her marriage to the English king, she remained deeply rooted in her Spanish heritage and was known for her devout Catholicism.
In the 16th century, the name Catarina was also used by Caterina Sforza (1463-1509), an Italian noblewoman and countess who was renowned for her military prowess and her defense of the city of Forlì against the forces of Cesare Borgia.
Another notable figure with the name Catarina was Caterina Cornaro (1454-1510), a Venetian noblewoman who became the Queen of Cyprus. She was known for her diplomatic skills and her efforts to maintain peace between Cyprus and the Venetian Republic.
These are just a few examples of the many notable figures throughout history who bore the name Catarina, reflecting its enduring popularity and cultural significance across various regions and time periods.
People
Catarina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Catarina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Catarina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Catarina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,021 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Catarina going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 113,457 US residents.
Is Catarina a common name?
We classify Catarina as "Rare". It ranks above 95.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,862 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Catarina most popular?
The single biggest year for Catarina was 2023, when 118 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Catarina is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Catarina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Catarina in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.