Katari
A feminine name originating from Japanese meaning "to narrate" or "storyteller".
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Katari. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Katari today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katari births was 1981 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katari. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Katari. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
1981
6 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,651
Tracked since 1981
Gender
Gender distribution for Katari
Katari is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 22 total registrations, 16 (72.7%) were male and 6 (27.3%) were female.
Katari as a male name
- Ranked #13,224 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (6 births)
Katari as a female name
- Ranked #9,651 in 1981
- 6 female births in 1981
- Peak: 1981 (6 births)
Popularity
Katari: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katari from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 11 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
Katari 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 Katari 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 Katari
The given name Katari is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. The name is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "katara," which means "dagger" or "knife." This suggests that the name may have been associated with warriors or those skilled in weaponry in ancient India.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Katari can be found in the Mahabharata, a revered Hindu epic that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In the epic, Katari is mentioned as the name of a valiant warrior who fought alongside the Pandava princes during the great Kurukshetra War.
During the medieval period, the name Katari gained prominence in various parts of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in regions where Sanskrit influence was strong. Historical records from this time period mention several notable individuals bearing this name, such as Katari Devi, a 12th-century queen of the Chahamana dynasty in Rajasthan, and Katari Vatsaraja, a 13th-century scholar and philosopher from Andhra Pradesh.
In the 16th century, the name Katari appeared in Persian texts and records, likely due to the cultural exchange and interactions between the Persian and Indian civilizations during that era. One notable figure from this period was Katari Khan, a Persian nobleman and military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
As the name spread beyond the Indian subcontinent, it also found its way into other cultures and languages. In the 19th century, there was a Japanese samurai named Katari Masamoto, who was known for his bravery and skill in battle during the Boshin War of 1868-1869.
Throughout history, the name Katari has been borne by various individuals from different walks of life, including:
1. Katari Bai, an Indian folk singer and activist from the 18th century, renowned for her powerful compositions advocating social reform.
2. Katari Rathnam, a celebrated Indian actor and filmmaker from the late 20th century, known for his contributions to the Telugu film industry.
3. Katari Haider, a Pakistani cricketer who played for the national team in the 1970s and 1980s.
4. Katari Vetrivel, an Indian politician and social activist from Tamil Nadu, active in the mid-20th century.
5. Katari Balakrishna, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer from the 20th century, known for his contributions to the Kuchipudi dance form.
People
Katari + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katari as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Katari: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katari?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katari 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Katari a common name?
We classify Katari as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katari most popular?
The single biggest year for Katari was 1981, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katari is about 19 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 Katari in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Katari a male name?
Yes, 72.7% of people registered as Katari in the SSA data are male. 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 Katari still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Katari 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 Katari 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 many people have the name Katari?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.