Marycatherine
A feminine name combining Mary and Catherine, meaning "beloved" and "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 891 living Americans carry the first name Marycatherine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marycatherine today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marycatherine births was 1997 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marycatherine. 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
891
~ 1 in 384,685 Americans
Peak year
1997
32 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,312
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Marycatherine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marycatherine from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 247 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
Marycatherine 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 Marycatherine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marycatherines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Marycatherine, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marycatherine
The given name Marycatherine is a unique and intriguing combination of two classic names – Mary and Catherine. Its origins can be traced back to the Early Modern English period, around the 16th and 17th centuries, when the practice of combining multiple given names became increasingly popular among the upper classes in England.
The name Mary is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Miryam, which is believed to have originated from the Egyptian word "mer," meaning "beloved." It was the name of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and has been widely revered in Christian tradition for centuries. The name Catherine, on the other hand, has its roots in the Greek name Aikaterina, which is derived from the Greek words "katharos" (pure) and "hekatos" (each of the two).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marycatherine can be found in the genealogical records of the aristocratic Howard family in England. Marycatherine Howard, born in 1637, was the daughter of Sir William Howard and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Knollys. This early usage of the combined name suggests its popularity among the English nobility during that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Marycatherine. One such figure was Marycatherine Cadogan (1679-1768), a British philanthropist and the wife of William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan. She was known for her charitable work and her support for various educational institutions.
Another prominent Marycatherine was Marycatherine Fergusson (1806-1887), a Scottish writer and translator. She was known for her translations of German literature, including works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller.
In the realm of literature, Marycatherine Crowley (1939-2017) was an American novelist and playwright. Her novel, "The Raven's Bride," published in 1994, explored themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships.
The name Marycatherine has also been found in religious circles. Marycatherine Brogan (1899-1981) was an American Roman Catholic nun who served as the sixth president of the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey.
Lastly, Marycatherine Davidson (1929-2019) was a British artist and sculptor, known for her large-scale public art installations and her exploration of abstract forms and materials.
While the name Marycatherine may not be as common as its individual components, it carries a rich history and a unique blend of cultural influences, reflecting the diverse tapestry of human experience.
People
Marycatherine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marycatherine as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Marycatherine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marycatherine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 891 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marycatherine 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 384,685 US residents.
Is Marycatherine a common name?
We classify Marycatherine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 945 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marycatherine most popular?
The single biggest year for Marycatherine was 1997, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marycatherine is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Marycatherine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marycatherine 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.