Given name · also Gaelic
Catriona
“one who is pure; virginal”
Catriona connects Scottish and Irish forms of Katherine with a nineteenth-century literary association.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Catriona 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
An origin associated with this spelling is Scottish.
How it developed
In English usage, Catriona developed from Caitrìona.
The story
Robert Louis Stevenson used Catriona as the title of his 1893 sequel to Kidnapped, bringing this Gaelic-related name to a wider readership.
Catriona through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 683
- 0 boys · 683 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 32 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −57%
- Cooling
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 872 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.
Catriona’s family of names
Catriona shares a linguistic root with Katherine. Catriona has a related form in Catherine. In English usage, Catriona has a related form in Catrina.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Catriona has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Irish 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 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Catriona
- Catriona GrayMiss Universe 2018born 1994
- Catriona Le May DoanCanadian speed skaterborn 1970
- Catriona MacCollBritish actressborn 1954
- Catriona BissetAustralian athleteborn 1994
- Catriona MatthewScottish professional golferborn 1969
- Catriona MorrisonBritish triathleteborn 1977
- Catriona KellyBritish academic specialising in Russian cultureborn 1959
- Catriona WardAmerican and British writerborn 1982
- Catriona SethBritish literary scholarborn 1964
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Catriona, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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