Catherine

#313 for girls in 2025, 972 births · Last seen for boys in 2007 at #12,367
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1917 · 8,689 births
Debut · girls
688 births
In top 100 · girls
121 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
667,789
since 1880

Catherine over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201939peak #18, 1917girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#313972—
2024#322956—
2023#331933—
2022#328981—
2021#3231,005—
2020#2671,155—
2019#2411,312—
2018#2051,507—
2017#1981,584—
2016#1951,669—
2015#1771,807—
2014#1701,945—
2013#1701,868—
2012#1651,913—
2011#1611,937—
2010#1931,612—
2009#1761,892—
2008#1482,323—
2007#1422,472#12,3675
2006#1212,793—
2005#1092,985#8,2998
2004#1033,181#6,52011
2003#1063,231—
2002#1013,292#6,52210
2001#813,731—
2000#813,802—
1999#983,401#6,5309
1998#1013,350—
1997#963,591#6,6188
1996#953,739#5,18711
1995#903,860#5,12411
1994#844,102—
1993#754,475—
1992#784,536#5,23610
1991#724,815#5,9428
1990#714,894#2,78023
1989#674,559#1,73344
1988#694,504#3,20316
1987#744,108#2,33324
1986#674,242#2,29024
1985#654,297#3,59912
1984#694,240#2,52919
1983#664,252#2,67617
1982#734,098#4,5938
1981#734,057#3,03014
1980#774,080#2,83116
1979#783,878#3,01814
1978#723,958#2,47318
1977#753,840#2,20221
1976#723,780#2,82614
1975#733,936#3,24611
1974#734,184#2,19919
1973#674,261#2,51315
1972#654,686#2,99111
1971#655,337#2,36616
1970#596,004#1,98920
1969#586,094#1,97718
1968#566,129#2,03016
1967#556,345#1,71121
1966#546,962#1,61323
1965#577,243#1,48327
1964#548,237#1,65523
1963#538,294#1,48528
1962#538,697#1,80520
1961#489,251#1,87619
1960#429,536#1,65824
1959#4010,025#1,80620
1958#3810,769#1,64423
1957#3711,151#1,51127
1956#2812,056#1,82119
1955#2811,636#1,57224
1954#3211,079#1,88717
1953#3510,849#1,90017
1952#3411,053#1,34731
1951#3410,566#1,51924
1950#349,655#1,74618
1949#379,137#2,02214
1948#418,244#1,51923
1947#467,889#2,16913
1946#486,367#1,94914
1945#505,031#1,58118
1944#495,256#1,73816
1943#485,427#1,43124
1942#495,267#1,35826
1941#514,884#1,63318
1940#534,584#1,68017
1939#494,577#1,63617
1938#484,525#1,52120
1937#474,459#1,40323
1936#444,537#1,29626
1935#424,698#1,65618
1934#424,933#1,55120
1933#444,908#1,58619
1932#395,449#1,25429
1931#365,642#1,10238
1930#356,299#1,25932
1929#346,277#1,52323
1928#336,910#1,09541
1927#317,256#1,22735
1926#317,469#1,35329
1925#297,867#1,80619
1924#278,363#1,41428
1923#248,437#1,64422
1922#248,537#1,64422
1921#238,887#1,98017
1920#218,878#1,82019
1919#238,335#1,88217
1918#208,842#2,39812
1917#188,689#1,90016
1916#208,469#1,45923
1915#198,181#1,87815
1914#186,613#1,34220
1913#225,302#1,58012
1912#214,666#1,52711
1911#203,565#1,03811
1910#223,161#1,04510
1909#232,897#1,1557
1908#222,750#87710
1907#252,457#1,0947
1906#262,230#1,0047
1905#282,198—
1904#311,982#8109
1903#321,916—
1902#311,896—
1901#381,599#1,0585
1900#342,081#1,3105
1899#361,628#1,0515
1898#411,705#1,1215
1897#421,511—
1896#401,594—
1895#381,514—
1894#411,430—
1893#421,336#1,0355
1892#421,333—
1891#411,219#8416
1890#441,232—
1889#421,198—
1888#421,212#9176
1887#44967#9215
1886#45916—
1885#45846—
1884#43874#7647
1883#36853—
1882#42726—
1881#40635—
1880#31688—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Catherine was already there! It came in at #31, and was given to 688 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1886, when fewer than 920 girls a year got the name.

Where Catherine is popular in 1939

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Catherine, so not publishedAKMaine: #92 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 338 girlsMEVermont: #82 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 295 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #97 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 380 girlsNHWashington: #107 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 470 girlsWAIdaho: #101 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 410 girlsIDMontana: #115 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 461 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #113 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 432 girlsNDMinnesota: #83 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 401 girlsMNIllinois: #64 for girls · 197 births · 1 in 273 girlsILWisconsin: #62 for girls · 85 births · 1 in 276 girlsWIMichigan: #64 for girls · 153 births · 1 in 271 girlsMINew York: #21 for girls · 782 births · 1 in 109 girlsNYMassachusetts: #33 for girls · 233 births · 1 in 121 girlsMARhode Island: #46 for girls · 27 births · 1 in 156 girlsRIOregon: #97 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 411 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Catherine, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Catherine, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #108 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 472 girlsSDIowa: #84 for girls · 47 births · 1 in 406 girlsIAIndiana: #83 for girls · 65 births · 1 in 391 girlsINOhio: #75 for girls · 152 births · 1 in 332 girlsOHPennsylvania: #24 for girls · 603 births · 1 in 120 girlsPANew Jersey: #25 for girls · 224 births · 1 in 111 girlsNJConnecticut: #56 for girls · 48 births · 1 in 205 girlsCTCalifornia: #103 for girls · 98 births · 1 in 465 girlsCAUtah: #123 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 476 girlsUTColorado: #84 for girls · 28 births · 1 in 314 girlsCONebraska: #69 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 293 girlsNEMissouri: #86 for girls · 67 births · 1 in 400 girlsMOKentucky: #93 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 438 girlsKYWest Virginia: #80 for girls · 52 births · 1 in 361 girlsWVVirginia: #49 for girls · 113 births · 1 in 211 girlsVAMaryland: #10 for girls · 181 births · 1 in 66 girlsMDDelaware: #25 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 86 girlsDEArizona: #133 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 461 girlsAZNew Mexico: #145 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 505 girlsNMKansas: #136 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 684 girlsKSArkansas: #89 for girls · 49 births · 1 in 371 girlsARTennessee: #115 for girls · 52 births · 1 in 522 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #58 for girls · 147 births · 1 in 251 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #37 for girls · 112 births · 1 in 189 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #23 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 106 girlsDCOklahoma: #174 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 870 girlsOKLouisiana: #36 for girls · 124 births · 1 in 182 girlsLAMississippi: #51 for girls · 102 births · 1 in 216 girlsMSAlabama: #60 for girls · 113 births · 1 in 251 girlsALGeorgia: #51 for girls · 135 births · 1 in 230 girlsGAHawaii: #99 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 297 girlsHITexas: #149 for girls · 86 births · 1 in 663 girlsTXFlorida: #33 for girls · 80 births · 1 in 173 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Maryland#10 · 1 in 66
  2. New York#21 · 1 in 109
  3. District of Columbia#23 · 1 in 106
  4. Pennsylvania#24 · 1 in 120
  5. Delaware#25 · 1 in 86

Best ever in a state: #6 in District of Columbia, 1912.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Maryland#101811 in 66
New York#217821 in 109
District of Columbia#23531 in 106
Pennsylvania#246031 in 120
Delaware#25181 in 86
New Jersey#252241 in 111
Florida#33801 in 173
Massachusetts#332331 in 121
Louisiana#361241 in 182
South Carolina#371121 in 189
Rhode Island#46271 in 156
Virginia#491131 in 211
Georgia#511351 in 230
Mississippi#511021 in 216
Connecticut#56481 in 205
North Carolina#581471 in 251
Alabama#601131 in 251
Wisconsin#62851 in 276
Illinois#641971 in 273
Michigan#641531 in 271
Nebraska#69311 in 293
Ohio#751521 in 332
West Virginia#80521 in 361
Vermont#8281 in 295
Indiana#83651 in 391
Minnesota#83531 in 401
Colorado#84281 in 314
Iowa#84471 in 406
Missouri#86671 in 400
Arkansas#89491 in 371
Maine#92181 in 338
Kentucky#93631 in 438
New Hampshire#9781 in 380
Oregon#97161 in 411
Hawaii#99111 in 297
Idaho#101101 in 410
California#103981 in 465
Washington#107231 in 470
South Dakota#108101 in 472
North Dakota#113121 in 432
Montana#11591 in 461
Tennessee#115521 in 522
Utah#123101 in 476
Arizona#133101 in 461
Kansas#136181 in 684
New Mexico#145111 in 505
Texas#149861 in 663
Oklahoma#174231 in 870
Alaska———
Nevada———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Catherine
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 9 spots since 2024 (#322 → #313)
  • 46 spots since 2020 (#267 → #313)
  • 136 spots since 2015 (#177 → #313)
  • Biggest jump: 32 spots in 2011 (#193 → #161)
  • Biggest drop: 56 spots in 2021 (#267 → #323)
Rise & fade · girls
37 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1917 at #18 (8,689 births)
  • Births halved by 1973, 56 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 121 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 121 yrs · run 1880–1997
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 115
  • Highest: 1 in 115 girls born in 1914 were named Catherine (0.87%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,654 girls born in 2025 (0.06%)
  • Its best rank, #18 in 1917, was only 1 in 124 (0.80%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 16.3% of all girls named Catherine (108,839) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s8,915#31 (1880)#41
1890s14,502#36 (1899)#41
1900s22,006#22 (1908)#29
1910s65,823#18 (1917)#20
1920s78,881#21 (1920)#28
1930s50,027#35 (1930)#43
1940s62,086#37 (1949)#47
1950s108,839#28 (1956)#34
1960s76,788#42 (1960)#53
1970s43,864#59 (1970)#70
1980s42,437#65 (1985)#70
1990s40,763#71 (1990)#86
2000s29,702#81 (2000)#117
2010s17,154#161 (2011)#188
2020s6,002#267 (2020)#314

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Catherine in 1939

girls
#49
4,577 births · 1 in 240 girls
boys
#1,636
17 births · 1 in 65,109 boys

Top girls' names in 1939

  1. #1Mary54,900
  2. #2Barbara37,257
  3. #3Patricia29,701
  4. #4Betty23,639
  5. #5Shirley20,447
  6. #6Carol20,166
  7. #7Nancy19,723
  8. #8Judith16,625
  9. #9Dorothy15,169
  10. #10Margaret14,949
  11. #49Catherine4,577

Top boys' names in 1939

  1. #1Robert59,666
  2. #2James59,636
  3. #3John51,025
  4. #4William42,071
  5. #5Richard35,386
  6. #6Charles30,789
  7. #7David25,360
  8. #8Donald24,056
  9. #9Thomas22,129
  10. #10Ronald19,837
  11. #1,636Catherine17
More about 1939

girls

1,096,612 girls got a published name in 1939; 1 in 240 of them was named Catherine, which outranked 99.0% of the 4,950 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Catherine
  1. #46Jane4,771
  2. #47Carole4,679
  3. #48Kathleen4,656
  4. #49Catherine4,577
  5. #50Wanda4,557
  6. #51Diane4,340
  7. #52Sally4,244
Biggest movers since 1938
Risers
  1. ↑ 880April#1,805 → #925
  2. ↑ 865Karel#1,703 → #838
  3. ↑ 725Hedy#1,650 → #925
  4. ↑ 722Vivien#1,703 → #981
  5. ↑ 709Karon#1,547 → #838
Fallers
  1. ↓ 712Eulalia#972 → #1,684
  2. ↓ 446Shelvia#955 → #1,401
  3. ↓ 358Naoma#992 → #1,350
  4. ↓ 304Imelda#890 → #1,194
  5. ↓ 279Helaine#870 → #1,149

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,106,852 boys got a published name in 1939; 1 in 65,109 of them was named Catherine, which outranked 58.8% of the 3,968 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Catherine
  1. #1,578Vinson18
  2. #1,578West18
  3. #1,578Willaim18
  4. #1,636Catherine17
  5. #1,636Ace17
  6. #1,636Adrain17
  7. #1,636Antony17
  8. #1,712Adell16
  9. #1,712Adolf16
  10. #1,712Algie16

Tied with 75 names at #1,636; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1938
Risers
  1. ↑ 463Alfonzo#1,439 → #976
  2. ↑ 447Rod#1,439 → #992
  3. ↑ 443Estel#1,397 → #954
  4. ↑ 422Cameron#1,364 → #942
  5. ↑ 421Turner#1,337 → #916
Fallers
  1. ↓ 518Gonzalo#779 → #1,297
  2. ↓ 497Judge#992 → #1,489
  3. ↓ 396Melville#963 → #1,359
  4. ↓ 355Agustin#883 → #1,238
  5. ↓ 351Antone#921 → #1,272

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1939 →