Katharine
Girl name · #4878 in 2025 · Very rare
Katharine ranks #4878 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 27 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #2138, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 66,667 girls born in 2025 was named Katharine.
Babies named Katharine per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Katharine first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 76 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1982, when 946 girls were named Katharine — good for #262 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Katharine against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Katharine in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Katharine is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Katharine will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Katharine is most common
State-level data for Katharine is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Katharine
Statistically, parents drawn to Katharine tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Justine, Kristine, Candice, Kristin, and Arianne.
JustineKristineCandiceKristinArianneKimberleeCandaceAdrienne
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Katharine | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | #4878 |
| 2024 | 28 | #4772 |
| 2023 | 34 | #4191 |
| 2022 | 42 | #3653 |
| 2021 | 31 | #4413 |
| 2020 | 45 | #3399 |
| 2019 | 66 | #2632 |
| 2018 | 56 | #2928 |
| 2017 | 73 | #2464 |
| 2016 | 62 | #2761 |
| 2015 | 89 | #2138 |
| 2014 | 89 | #2139 |
| 2013 | 109 | #1849 |
| 2012 | 110 | #1831 |
| 2011 | 134 | #1612 |
| 2010 | 127 | #1668 |
| 2009 | 160 | #1450 |
| 2008 | 191 | #1299 |
| 2007 | 256 | #1030 |
| 2006 | 293 | #905 |
| 2005 | 301 | #842 |
| 2004 | 323 | #789 |
| 2003 | 375 | #697 |
| 2002 | 286 | #808 |
| 2001 | 334 | #728 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Katharine a popular girl name?
Katharine ranked #4878 among girls in 2025 with 27 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2138.
When was the name Katharine most popular?
Katharine peaked in 1982, when 946 American girls received the name (ranked #262 that year). Since 1982 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Katharine?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 66,667 newborn American girls was named Katharine. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.