Given name
Catharine
“one who is pure; virginal”
In English use, Catharine is a variant of Catherine. One English interpretation is “one who is pure; virginal.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Catharine is a variant of Catherine. One English interpretation is “one who is pure; virginal.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Catharine is a form of Catherine. Catherine possibly comes from French, and ultimately from Ancient Greek.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Catharine is a variant of Katherine. The history of Katherine gives this family its wider story. Katherine’s historical associations include Catherine de’ Medici, wife of King Henry II and regent.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Catharine through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 12,994
- 0 boys · 12,994 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 281 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −52%
- Cooling
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 7 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 281 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,285 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Catharine’s family of names
Catharine has a related form in Katherine. In English usage, Catharine has a related form in Catherine. In English usage, Catharine has a conventional equivalent in the German form Katharina.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Catharine has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 47
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Catalinaequivalent
- Kateequivalent
- Katieequivalent
- Karenequivalent
- Katerinaequivalent
- Katarinaequivalent
- Catarinaequivalent
- Katiaequivalent
Show 39 moreShow fewer
- Katrinaequivalent
- Katyequivalent
- Kathyequivalent
- Katyaequivalent
- Caterinaequivalent
- Ekaterinaequivalent
- KatharinaGerman
- Kaisaequivalent
- Kathrineequivalent
- Catharinaequivalent
- Cathyequivalent
- Cathrynequivalent
- Carinequivalent
- Karinequivalent
- Kajsaequivalent
- Katjaequivalent
- Katriequivalent
- Katrinequivalent
- Kaarinaequivalent
- Katalinequivalent
- Katrineequivalent
- Kathieequivalent
- Kareenequivalent
- Cathrineequivalent
- Katarzynaequivalent
- Catrinequivalent
- Cathieequivalent
- Catharinequivalent
- 凱瑟琳Chinese
- Katrijnequivalent
- Katarínaequivalent
- Екатеринаequivalent
- Ekaterineequivalent
- Katriinaequivalent
- Chatrineequivalent
- Katriinequivalent
- Jekaterinaequivalent
- Katariinaequivalent
- Kateřinaequivalent
People named Catharine
- Catharine A. MacKinnonAmerican feminist and legal activistborn 1946
- Drew Gilpin FaustAmerican historian and board member, director at Goldman Sachsborn 1947
- Catharine BeecherUnited States educator (1800–1878)
- Catharine MacaulayEnglish historian, philosopher, feminist (1731-1791)
- Catharine Trotter CockburnEnglish novelist, dramatist, philosopher (1674-1749)
- Catharine PendrelCanadian racing cyclistborn 1980
- Catharine Parr TraillEnglish-Canadian author and botanical artist (1802-1899)
- Catharine SedgwickAmerican writer 1789-1867
- Catharine Garmanyastronomerborn 1946
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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