Kathyrne
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pure, unsullied".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Kathyrne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kathyrne today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kathyrne births was 1951 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kathyrne. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kathyrne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1951
5 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
1971 SSA rank
#8,895
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Kathyrne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kathyrne from the 1950s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, 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
Kathyrne 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 Kathyrne 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 Kathyrne
The name Kathyrne is derived from the Greek name Aikaterine, which is a combination of the Greek words "katharos" meaning "pure" and "heiros" meaning "sacred." It was a name used by early Christians to honor the virgin martyrs Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Catherine of Siena.
The name Kathyrne first appeared in the late 13th century and was a popular name among the nobility and upper classes in medieval England. It was often spelled as "Katerine" or "Kateryne" during this time period. The spelling "Kathyrne" emerged in the 16th century and became more widespread in the 17th and 18th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kathyrne can be found in the "Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer, written in the late 14th century. In the tale "The Clerk's Tale," Chaucer mentions a character named "Kathyrne" who is praised for her patience and virtue.
In the 16th century, Kathyrne Parr (1512-1548) was the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England. She played a significant role in the English Reformation and was a patron of the arts and education.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century, Kathyrne Howard (1564-1629) was a renowned poet and playwright. She was one of the first women to have her works published in English.
In the 17th century, Kathyrne Philips (1631-1664) was a prominent English poet and member of the literary circle known as the "Cavalier Poets." She was highly regarded for her lyric poetry and was a pioneering figure in the world of literature.
Another notable figure was Kathyrne Sedley (1657-1717), a British aristocrat and mistress of King James II of England. She was known for her wit and charm, and her memoirs provide insight into the court life of the time.
In the 18th century, Kathyrne Clive (1711-1785) was a pioneering English actress and playwright. She was one of the first women to achieve widespread fame and success on the stage, and she helped to establish the profession of acting as a respectable career for women.
People
Kathyrne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kathyrne 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
Kathyrne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kathyrne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kathyrne 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Kathyrne a common name?
We classify Kathyrne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kathyrne most popular?
The single biggest year for Kathyrne was 1951, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kathyrne is about 60 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 Kathyrne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kathyrne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kathyrne 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 Kathyrne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kathyrne 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 Kathyrne 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 share the name Kathyrne?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.