Cathreen
A feminine name from the Greek word "katharos" meaning "pure" or "clear".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Cathreen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cathreen today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cathreen births was 1925 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cathreen. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Cathreen is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Cathreens were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cathreen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1925
5 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1956 SSA rank
#6,082
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Cathreen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cathreen from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cathreen 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 Cathreen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cathreen
The name Cathreen finds its origins in the Greek language, derived from the word "katharos," which means "pure" or "clear." It emerged during the early days of Christianity, as it was a popular name among the Greek-speaking Christian communities of the Byzantine Empire.
In the 4th century, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Saint Cathreen of Alexandria, a Christian martyr who lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Maximinus II. Her unwavering faith and courage in the face of persecution earned her a place in the annals of Christian hagiography.
The name Cathreen gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, with variations such as Catharina, Katherina, and Katerina appearing in various languages and cultures. One notable figure from this era was Cathreen of Siena (1347-1380), an Italian philosopher, theologian, and mystic who played a significant role in the Western Schism and was later canonized as a saint.
In the Renaissance period, the name Cathreen was borne by several influential women, including Cathreen de' Medici (1519-1589), the Queen of France and a prominent patron of the arts and architecture. Another notable figure was Cathreen the Great (1729-1796), the longest-reigning female ruler of Russia, who is remembered for her ambitious program of westernization and expansion of the Russian Empire.
Moving into the modern era, Cathreen Hepburn (1907-2003) was an iconic American actress who won four Academy Awards and is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age. Cathreen Bigelow (born 1951) is another notable bearer of the name, being the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director for her film "The Hurt Locker" in 2010.
Other prominent figures with the name Cathreen include Cathreen Graham (1917-2001), the former publisher of The Washington Post who played a pivotal role in uncovering the Watergate scandal; Cathreen Zeta-Jones (born 1969), the Welsh actress known for her roles in films like "Chicago" and "Ocean's Twelve"; and Cathreen Langford (1956-2019), the Australian singer-songwriter and actress best known for her role in the television series "Supernatural."
People
Cathreen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cathreen 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
Cathreen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cathreen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cathreen 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Cathreen a common name?
We classify Cathreen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cathreen most popular?
The single biggest year for Cathreen was 1925, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cathreen is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cathreen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cathreen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cathreen 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.
Is Cathreen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cathreen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cathreen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Cathreen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.