Katniss
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from an edible plant.
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the first name Katniss. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Katniss today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katniss births was 2014 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katniss. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Katniss with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
200
~ 1 in 1,713,772 Americans
Peak year
2014
38 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,593
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Katniss: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katniss from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 149 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Katniss remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Katniss 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 Katniss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Katniss' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Katniss
The name Katniss is a modern invention, first appearing in the 21st century Hunger Games book series by Suzanne Collins. It is not derived from any known language or culture and has no historical background or references in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records.
As a newly created name, there are no recorded examples or famous individuals bearing the name Katniss prior to the publication of the Hunger Games novels. The name gained widespread recognition and popularity after the release of the first book, "The Hunger Games," in 2008, and the subsequent film adaptations starring Jennifer Lawrence as the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen.
While the name Katniss itself does not have a documented history or etymology, it has been speculated that the author, Suzanne Collins, may have drawn inspiration from the word "catnip" or the plant genus Catmint (Nepeta) when creating the name. However, there is no official confirmation from the author regarding the name's origin or meaning.
Prior to the Hunger Games series, the name Katniss was virtually non-existent and had no recorded usage. Its sudden prominence and widespread recognition are solely attributed to the immense popularity of the Hunger Games novels and films, which have introduced the name to a global audience.
While there may be individuals who have adopted or been given the name Katniss in recent years due to the influence of the Hunger Games franchise, there are no notable historical figures or famous individuals throughout history who have borne this name.
People
Katniss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katniss 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
Katniss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katniss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katniss 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 1,713,772 US residents.
Is Katniss a common name?
We classify Katniss as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 201 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katniss most popular?
The single biggest year for Katniss was 2014, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katniss is about 9 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 Katniss in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Katniss a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Katniss 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 Katniss still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Katniss 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 Katniss 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 called Katniss?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Katniss on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.