Katherlene
Feminine variant of Katherine, from the Greek Katharine meaning "pure, clear".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Katherlene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Katherlene today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katherlene births was 1917 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katherlene. 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 Katherlene is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Katherlenes were born before 1958.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Katherlene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1917
5 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1949 SSA rank
#5,631
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Katherlene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katherlene from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 5 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
Katherlene 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 Katherlene 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 Katherlene
The name Katherlene is an uncommon variant of the more familiar name Katherine, derived from the Greek name Aikaterine. This name traces its origins back to the late 4th century AD, during the Byzantine era. The name Aikaterine is believed to be a combination of the Greek words "katharos" meaning "pure" and "haran" meaning "to rejoice or be glad."
Katherlene gained some popularity in certain regions of Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in areas influenced by the Byzantine cultural sphere. It was occasionally found in ancient texts and records from this period, though its usage remained relatively rare compared to the more standardized spelling of Katherine.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Katherlene can be found in the records of a Benedictine monastery in southern Italy, where a nun by that name is mentioned in the late 12th century. Another notable historical figure bearing this name was Katherlene von Hohenzollern, a German noblewoman born in 1412, who was a prominent figure in the court of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 16th century, a Katherlene Beaufort, born in 1521, was a prominent member of the English gentry and a distant relative of the Tudor dynasty. During the same period, there are records of a Katherlene Delacroix, a French artist and engraver born in 1558, whose works were celebrated in her lifetime.
Moving into the 17th century, Katherlene Margaretha von Habsburg, born in 1635, was a member of the Austrian nobility and a descendant of the influential Habsburg family. She played a significant role in the political and cultural affairs of the Holy Roman Empire during her lifetime.
While the name Katherlene has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been borne by a handful of notable individuals across various cultures and time periods. However, its usage has largely been overshadowed by the more widespread variants of Katherine and its various spellings.
People
Katherlene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katherlene 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
Katherlene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katherlene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katherlene 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Katherlene a common name?
We classify Katherlene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% 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 Katherlene most popular?
The single biggest year for Katherlene was 1917, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katherlene is about 78 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 Katherlene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Katherlene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Katherlene 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 Katherlene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Katherlene 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 Katherlene 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 are named Katherlene?
See how many people share the name Katherlene on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.