Catherine
Say it: KATH-rin/ˈkæθ(ə)ɹɪn/
Girl9 letters2 syllables
#273
in Ireland (2025)
#276 with spellings combined
15
babies in 2025
#2
best rank (1964)
22,641
babies since 1964
Down 104
10-year rank change
Catherine through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #276 |
| 2024 | 20 | #216 |
| 2023 | 12 | #313 |
| 2022 | 14 | #306 |
| 2021 | 25 | #192 |
| 2020 | 29 | #164 |
| 2019 | 22 | #221 |
| 2018 | 44 | #130 |
| 2017 | 28 | #184 |
| 2016 | 27 | #187 |
| 2015 | 33 | #172 |
| 2014 | 44 | #133 |
| 2013 | 55 | #112 |
| 2012 | 48 | #126 |
| 2011 | 56 | #113 |
| 2010 | 37 | #169 |
| 2009 | 52 | #126 |
| 2008 | 62 | #106 |
| 2007 | 52 | #114 |
| 2006 | 57 | #99 |
| 2005 | 67 | #83 |
| 2004 | 91 | #64 |
| 2003 | 72 | #71 |
| 2002 | 91 | #58 |
| 2001 | 94 | #54 |
| 2000 | 80 | #60 |
| 1999 | 89 | #51 |
| 1998 | 78 | #51 |
| 1997 | 182 | #34 |
| 1996 | 181 | #35 |
| 1995 | 214 | #26 |
| 1994 | 230 | #24 |
| 1993 | 280 | #19 |
| 1992 | 277 | #20 |
| 1991 | 282 | #19 |
| 1990 | 325 | #17 |
| 1989 | 352 | #15 |
| 1988 | 339 | #17 |
| 1987 | 346 | #16 |
| 1986 | 394 | #14 |
| 1985 | 435 | #14 |
| 1984 | 498 | #7 |
| 1983 | 484 | #12 |
| 1982 | 535 | #10 |
| 1981 | 535 | #8 |
| 1980 | 633 | #4 |
| 1979 | 618 | #4 |
| 1978 | 628 | #4 |
| 1977 | 693 | #3 |
| 1976 | 645 | #3 |
| 1975 | 682 | #3 |
| 1974 | 751 | #2 |
| 1973 | 785 | #2 |
| 1972 | 853 | #2 |
| 1971 | 914 | #2 |
| 1970 | 939 | #2 |
| 1969 | 1,007 | #2 |
| 1968 | 1,082 | #2 |
| 1967 | 1,086 | #3 |
| 1966 | 1,279 | #2 |
| 1965 | 1,351 | #3 |
| 1964 | 1,412 | #2 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Catherine mean?
Uncertain, long linked with "pure"
Greek, from Aikaterine, a name of debated origin, through French.
Say it right
KATHrin
Some people say all three syllables, KATH-er-in.
The story of Catherine
Catherine comes to English through French from the Greek Aikaterine. Nobody is sure what the Greek name meant. It may be linked to a word for “each of the two”, or to the goddess Hecate. From Roman times people connected it with katharos, “pure”, and that guess is why the name is spelled with “th”.
Its fame comes from Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a martyr of the early Church. The spiked wheel she was condemned to gave its name to the Catherine wheel.
In the 1960s Catherine was one of the most popular girls’ names in Ireland. It was number 2 in 1964, with 1,412 babies. It stayed near the top through the 1970s and 1980s, then fell away gradually, and 15 girls were named Catherine in 2025. The pattern is similar in Northern Ireland, where it was number 22 in 1997.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Catherine (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Katherine
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
CathyKateKatie
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Catherine | 15 | 22,641 |
In Northern Ireland
#259 in 2025 with 6 babies. Best rank #22 (1997); 997 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.