Katheran
A feminine name of Greek and Iranian origin meaning "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Katheran. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Katheran today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katheran births was 1950 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katheran. 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 Katheran is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Katherans were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Katheran. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1950
5 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1956 SSA rank
#6,406
Tracked since 1950
Census
Katheran in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 148 people with the first name Katheran, which placed it at #45,698 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
#45,698
National first-name rank
People counted
148
148 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
70.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Katheran
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Katheran is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Black (8.8%). 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 Katheran 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 Katheran at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.3% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino11.5% · 17
- Black or African American8.8% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 5
- Two or more races2.7% · 4
Popularity
Katheran: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Katheran 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 Katheran during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 | 15 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Katheran
The name Katheran is believed to have originated from the Greek language, specifically derived from the word "katharos," which means "pure" or "clear." This name gained popularity during the Byzantine era, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th century AD.
The earliest recorded use of the name Katheran can be traced back to the 6th century AD, where it was mentioned in several Byzantine chronicles and historical texts. One notable reference is found in the writings of the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea, who documented the life of a noble woman named Katheran, a prominent figure in the court of Emperor Justinian I.
During the Middle Ages, the name Katheran became associated with religious figures and saints. One of the most well-known bearers of this name was Saint Katheran of Alexandria, a 4th-century Christian martyr who was revered for her unwavering faith and scholarly pursuits. Her story was widely circulated in hagiographies and inspired numerous artistic depictions throughout Europe.
In the 11th century, the name Katheran was borne by a notable Byzantine princess named Katheran of Antioch. She was a member of the influential Doukas family and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Byzantine Empire during her time.
Another historical figure with the name Katheran was Katheran of Aragon, a 14th-century Spanish noblewoman who served as the Queen of Sicily and Naples. She was renowned for her patronage of the arts and her efforts in promoting cultural exchange between the Mediterranean regions.
In the 16th century, Katheran von Bora, a former nun and the wife of Martin Luther, the famous German reformer, adopted the name Katheran. She played a crucial role in the Protestant Reformation and is remembered for her support of Luther's teachings and her advocacy for women's education.
While the name Katheran has its roots in the Greek and Byzantine cultures, it has also been used in various other regions throughout history, albeit with slightly different spellings or variations. However, the core meaning and essence of the name, denoting purity and clarity, have remained consistent across these diverse cultural contexts.
People
Katheran + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katheran 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
Katheran: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katheran?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katheran 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Katheran a common name?
We classify Katheran as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% 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 Katheran most popular?
The single biggest year for Katheran was 1950, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katheran is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Katheran in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 148 people with the name Katheran, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #45,698 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 Katheran 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 Katheran?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Katheran appears almost entirely female. Of the 139 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Katheran?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Katheran is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Black (8.8%). 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 Katheran most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Katheran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.3% (104 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 Katheran in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Katheran a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Katheran 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 Katheran still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Katheran 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 Katheran 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 common is the name Katheran?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.