Kateria
A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "pure" or "innocent".
Name Census estimates that about 233 living Americans carry the first name Kateria. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kateria today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kateria births was 1999 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kateria. 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
233
~ 1 in 1,471,049 Americans
Peak year
1999
19 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2006 SSA rank
#14,328
Tracked since 1978
Census
Kateria in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 265 people with the first name Kateria, which placed it at #32,010 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#32,010
National first-name rank
People counted
265
265 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
78.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kateria
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kateria is Black at 78.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Hispanic (6.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kateria described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kateria at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.9% · 209
- White9.1% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.0% · 8
- Two or more races2.6% · 7
Popularity
Kateria: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kateria from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 123 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Kateria remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kateria 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 Kateria during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Katerias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kateria
The name Kateria has its origins in ancient Greece, derived from the Greek word "katharos," meaning "pure" or "clear." It is believed to have been first used as a personal name around the 5th century BC, with variations like Katheria and Kataira appearing in historical records from that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kateria can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman by that name in his work "The Histories." This text, written in the 5th century BC, provides valuable insight into the use of the name during that period.
In the Byzantine era, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th century AD, the name Kateria gained popularity among the Eastern Orthodox Christian community. It was often associated with the concept of purity and was sometimes given to women who devoted their lives to religious pursuits.
Notable historical figures bearing the name Kateria include Kateria of Alexandria, a 4th-century Christian martyr revered by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Another prominent individual was Kateria Petraliphas, a 12th-century Byzantine noblewoman and philanthropist known for her charitable works.
During the Renaissance period, which began in the 14th century, the name Kateria saw a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Italy. One notable figure from this era was Kateria Sforza (1463-1509), an Italian noblewoman and military leader who played a significant role in the Italian Wars.
In the realm of literature, the name Kateria was immortalized in the works of William Shakespeare. In his play "The Taming of the Shrew," one of the characters is named Katherina, a variant of Kateria. This play, written in the late 16th century, further contributed to the name's recognition and usage.
Another historical figure bearing the name Kateria was Kateria the Great (1729-1796), the renowned Empress of Russia, whose reign was marked by significant political and cultural reforms. Her influence and legacy have left an indelible mark on Russian history.
While the name Kateria has roots in ancient Greece and has been used throughout various periods in history, its popularity has ebbed and flowed over time. However, its association with purity and its rich historical legacy have ensured that it remains a respected and meaningful name choice for many.
People
Kateria + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kateria 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
Kateria: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kateria?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 233 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kateria 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 1,471,049 US residents.
Is Kateria a common name?
We classify Kateria as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 242 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kateria most popular?
The single biggest year for Kateria was 1999, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kateria is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kateria in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 265 people with the name Kateria, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,010 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kateria in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kateria?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kateria appears almost entirely female. Of the 267 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kateria?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kateria is Black at 78.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.1%) and Hispanic (6.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kateria most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kateria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (209 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kateria in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kateria a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kateria 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 Kateria still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kateria 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 Kateria 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.
How many people share the name Kateria?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Kateria, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.