Kathrin
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pure" or "innocent".
Name Census estimates that about 987 living Americans carry the first name Kathrin. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kathrin today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kathrin births was 1990 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kathrin. 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
987
~ 1 in 347,269 Americans
Peak year
1990
36 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,438
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Kathrin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kathrin from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 206 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
Kathrin 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 Kathrin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kathrins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kathrin
Kathrin is a German feminine given name derived from the ancient Greek name Katharina, which itself is a combination of the Greek words katharos meaning "pure" and the name Aikaterine. The name Katharina was likely introduced to German-speaking regions by Greek missionaries during the Middle Ages.
In medieval times, the name was rendered in various spellings such as Katharina, Katherina, and Kathrin. The abbreviated form Kathrin gained popularity in certain regions of Germany and Switzerland. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Kathrin von Bora (1499-1552), the wife of the German Protestant Reformer Martin Luther.
Another notable historical figure with the name Kathrin was Kathrin Linsert (1669-1754), a German educator and writer who established one of the earliest schools for girls in Berlin. Her works on pedagogy and ethics were influential in shaping educational practices of the time.
In the arts, Kathrin Türk (1927-2023) was a renowned German actress and theater director known for her performances in plays by Bertolt Brecht and her work with the Berliner Ensemble. She was awarded the prestigious Deutscher Filmpreis for her contributions to German cinema.
Kathrin Ackermann (1944-2014) was a Swiss artist and sculptor whose works explored themes of nature, mythology, and the human form. Her sculptures and installations can be found in public spaces and galleries across Europe.
Kathrin Perez (1957-2010) was a German writer and journalist known for her novels and essays on contemporary issues. Her book "Ausgeliefert" (Delivered), published in 2003, received critical acclaim for its exploration of themes of identity and belonging.
While the name Kathrin has its roots in ancient Greek and was popularized in medieval Europe, it has continued to be a widely used name across German-speaking regions and beyond, carrying a rich historical and cultural significance.
People
Kathrin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kathrin 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
Kathrin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kathrin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 987 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kathrin 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 347,269 US residents.
Is Kathrin a common name?
We classify Kathrin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,214 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kathrin most popular?
The single biggest year for Kathrin was 1990, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kathrin is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kathrin a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kathrin 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.