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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201979peak #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.

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 1979

girls
#78
3,878 births · 1 in 414 girls
boys
#3,018
14 births · 1 in 122,967 boys

Top girls' names in 1979

  1. #1Jennifer56,712
  2. #2Melissa34,050
  3. #3Amanda31,924
  4. #4Jessica27,780
  5. #5Amy21,609
  6. #6Sarah21,015
  7. #7Heather20,834
  8. #8Angela20,256
  9. #9Nicole19,510
  10. #10Michelle19,266
  11. #78Catherine3,878

Top boys' names in 1979

  1. #1Michael67,713
  2. #2Christopher50,659
  3. #3Jason50,369
  4. #4David42,053
  5. #5James39,351
  6. #6Matthew35,621
  7. #7John35,410
  8. #8Robert34,015
  9. #9Joshua31,120
  10. #10Brian28,659
  11. #3,018Catherine14
More about 1979

girls

1,605,268 girls got a published name in 1979; 1 in 414 of them was named Catherine, which outranked 99.3% of the 11,972 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Catherine
  1. #75Vanessa4,102
  2. #76Veronica4,062
  3. #77Sandra3,995
  4. #78Catherine3,878
  5. #79Tammy3,758
  6. #80Jacqueline3,740
  7. #81Mindy3,712
Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. 1,593Breanne#2,125#532
  2. 1,527Loni#2,516#989
  3. 1,287Renata#2,012#725
  4. 985Ashanti#1,862#877
  5. 896Nicolette#1,581#685
Fallers
  1. 392Christel#762#1,154
  2. 312Kenisha#557#869
  3. 297Ariane#887#1,184
  4. 285Imelda#947#1,232
  5. 252Farrah#539#791

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

boys

1,721,536 boys got a published name in 1979; 1 in 122,967 of them was named Catherine, which outranked 57.3% of the 7,071 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Catherine
  1. #2,897Waymond15
  2. #2,897Wendall15
  3. #2,897Weylin15
  4. #3,018Catherine14
  5. #3,018Albino14
  6. #3,018Alok14
  7. #3,018Amiel14
  8. #3,168Aaren13
  9. #3,168Abbas13
  10. #3,168Adama13

Tied with 149 names at #3,018; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. 1,228Tyrel#2,134#906
  2. 471Jace#1,186#715
  3. 387Chaz#1,371#984
  4. 311Tyrell#1,051#740
  5. 308Frederic#1,203#895
Fallers
  1. 1,230Dequan#927#2,157
  2. 641Rahsaan#869#1,510
  3. 446Chip#989#1,435
  4. 308Rashaun#996#1,304
  5. 307Kenya#749#1,056

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

See the top 100 for 1979