Katherina
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pure, blessed".
Name Census estimates that about 1,360 living Americans carry the first name Katherina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Katherina today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katherina births was 1991 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katherina. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 252,025 Americans
Peak year
1991
46 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,152
Tracked since 1889
Popularity
Katherina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katherina 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 309 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
Katherina 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 Katherina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Katherinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Katherina, while New Jersey, Texas, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 38 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Katherina
The name Katherina originated from the Greek name Katharina, which is derived from the ancient Greek word 'katharos' meaning 'pure' or 'clear'. It is a variant of the name Katherine, which was also derived from the same Greek root.
The name Katherina gained popularity during the early Christian era, as it was borne by several early Christian saints and martyrs. One of the most notable was St. Katharina of Alexandria, who is said to have been a Christian martyr in the 4th century AD. Her story was widely circulated in the Middle Ages, contributing to the widespread use of the name across Europe.
In the Byzantine Empire, the name Katherina was popular among the nobility and royalty. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is Katherina of Braganza, a Portuguese princess who married King Charles II of England in 1662.
During the Renaissance period, the name Katherina was particularly popular in Italy, where it was often spelled as Caterina. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Caterina de' Medici, who was born in 1519 and served as the Queen of France from 1547 until her death in 1589.
In Russia, the name Katherina was also widely used among the aristocracy. One of the most renowned Russian Emperors, Catherine the Great, was born in 1729 with the name Sophia Augusta Frederica, but adopted the name Catherina (later anglicized to Catherine) upon her conversion to the Russian Orthodox faith.
Other notable historical figures with the name Katherina include:
1. Katherina von Bora (1499-1552), a former nun who married Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation.
2. Katherina Kepler (1546-1622), the mother of the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler.
3. Katherina Blum (1670-1706), a German writer and poet.
4. Katherina Lescova (1920-1976), a Russian writer and playwright.
5. Katherina Reiche (1923-2004), a German physicist and pioneer in the field of radiation protection.
The name Katherina has been used across various cultures and time periods, reflecting its enduring popularity and historical significance.
People
Katherina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katherina 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
Katherina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katherina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,360 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katherina 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 252,025 US residents.
Is Katherina a common name?
We classify Katherina as "Rare". It ranks above 91.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,663 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katherina most popular?
The single biggest year for Katherina was 1991, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katherina is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Katherina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Katherina 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.