Katharina
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 1,765 living Americans carry the first name Katharina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Katharina today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katharina births was 1991 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katharina. 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
1.8K
~ 1 in 194,195 Americans
Peak year
1991
58 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,389
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Katharina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katharina from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 451 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Katharina 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 Katharina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Katharinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Katharina, while Washington, Virginia, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Katharina
Katharina is a German feminine given name derived from the ancient Greek name Aikaterine. It traces its roots back to the late antiquity period, with the earliest known versions being Hekateros and Hekaterine. The name's etymology points to a combination of the Greek words 'hekas' meaning 'each' or 'every' and 'katharos' meaning 'pure'.
The name gained widespread popularity in Europe after the legendary 4th century Christian martyr, St. Catherine of Alexandria. Her story and the accounts of her life were widely circulated during the Middle Ages, leading to the name's adoption across various cultures and languages. Alternate spellings include Katherine, Katharine, Catarina, and Caterina, among others.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Katharina appears in the ancient Greek text, the Chronicon Paschale, which dates back to the 7th century. This text mentions a woman named Aikaterine who lived in the 3rd century and was associated with the Gnostic Christian movement.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Katharina. One of the most famous was Katharina von Bora (1499-1552), a German nun who later became the wife of the influential Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther. Her decision to leave the convent and marry Luther was a pivotal moment in the Reformation movement.
Another prominent Katharina was Katharina II, also known as Catherine the Great (1729-1796), the longest-reigning female ruler of Russia. She presided over the Russian Empire during a period of significant territorial expansion and cultural renaissance.
In the realm of literature, Katharina Blum is the protagonist of the 1974 novel "The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum" by the German writer Heinrich Böll. The novel explores themes of justice, media responsibility, and the erosion of civil liberties.
The name also has a strong presence in the arts, with notable figures such as Katharina Sieverding (b. 1944), a pioneering German photographer known for her large-scale self-portraits, and Katharina Fritsch (b. 1956), a renowned German sculptor known for her iconic works like the giant blue rooster sculpture in London's Trafalgar Square.
Finally, Katharina Kepler (1546-1622), the mother of the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler, was tried and convicted of witchcraft during the infamous Württemberg witch trials, providing a glimpse into the harsh realities of life for women during that period.
People
Katharina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katharina 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
Katharina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katharina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,765 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katharina 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 194,195 US residents.
Is Katharina a common name?
We classify Katharina as "Rare". It ranks above 93.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,102 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katharina most popular?
The single biggest year for Katharina was 1991, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katharina is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Katharina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Katharina 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.