Kathryn Girl
Name Meaning & Origin Pronunciation: KATH-rin //ˈkæθrɪn//
Origin: Greek; English
Meaning: Greek: pure; English: variant of Catherine
Historical & Cultural Background
The name Kathryn has its roots in the ancient Greek name 'Aikaterine,' which is believed to derive from the Greek word 'katharos,' meaning 'pure.' This name was adopted into Latin as 'Catherina,' which later evolved into various forms in different languages. The transition into Old French as 'Catherine' occurred during the medieval period, particularly as the name gained prominence through the influence of saints and royal figures.
The English form 'Kathryn' emerged in the 20th century as a variant of 'Catherine,' reflecting a trend towards unique spellings of traditional names. Historically, the name Kathryn has been associated with several notable figures, most prominently Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a Christian martyr from the 4th century, who was venerated in both the Eastern and Western Christian traditions.
Her story was popularized in various hagiographies, and she became a symbol of wisdom and learning. The name's presence in the English-speaking world was further solidified by its inclusion in significant texts, such as the King James Bible, where the name Catherine appears in various forms, contributing to its cultural resonance.
The enduring appeal of the name Kathryn can be attributed to its associations with purity and virtue, as well as its connection to revered historical and religious figures. The name has been embraced in literature and art, often symbolizing strength and resilience.
Additionally, diminutive forms such as Kate and Katie have emerged, reflecting affection and familiarity while maintaining ties to the original name. Overall, Kathryn's rich etymological history and cultural significance have established it as a name with deep roots in both linguistic and historical contexts.
Famous people named Kathryn
In this section, you will find notable people named Kathryn. We include individuals across a wide range of fields, including actors known for their work in film, television, and stage productions. You'll also find musicians, directors, and other public figures named Kathryn who have made a significant impact on popular culture.
We also feature individuals named Kathryn who have made meaningful contributions to science, politics, athletics, literature, and other areas of public interest.
Please note that not every baby name in our database currently has a famous namesake listed. If you would like to suggest a name we may have missed or submit a correction, feel free to contact us. We review and finalize additions and corrections within 24 hours.
Kathryn Bigelow is a director and producer best known for The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, and Point Break.
Kathryn Hahn is an actress best known for Transparent, Parks and Recreation, and WandaVision.
Kathryn Morris is an actress best known for Cold Case, Minority Report, and The Time Machine.
Kathryn Heigl is an actress and producer best known for Grey's Anatomy, Knocked Up, and 27 Dresses.
Kathryn Lasky is an author best known for the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series and the Wolves of the Beyond series.
Kathryn Joosten is an actress best known for Desperate Housewives, The West Wing, and The Practice.
Kathryn Grayson is a singer and actress best known for Anchors Aweigh, Kiss Me Kate, and Show Boat.
Fictional characters named Kathryn
The following list of fictional characters named Kathryn is a work in progress. If you would like to suggest an additional character, please send us the character's name along with a brief, one-sentence description of what they are best known for.
You may also submit corrections, which we will review and update as quickly as possible.
Kathryn Janeway is a fictional character from the TV series Star Trek: Voyager. She is the captain of the starship Voyager, leading her crew on a journey home from the Delta Quadrant.
Sibling suggestions
If you're looking for sibling name ideas that pair well with Kathryn, the following options are frequently chosen as complementary choices by parents.
Similar names
Based on our extensive baby names database, several names share stylistic or phonetic similarities with Kathryn. These names can serve as alternatives to the sibling suggestions listed above and may help you find the perfect complementary name for your growing family.
U.S. Historical Usage
The name Kathryn was first seen in the United States in 1880.
Kathryn has ranked as high as #90 nationally, which occurred in 1952, and has been most popular in Pennsylvania, California, New York, Illinois, and Ohio.
In the past 5 years the name Kathryn has been trending down compared to the previous 5 years.
Popularity Over Time (National)
The name Kathryn is part of our comprehensive baby names database, which includes Social Security Administration (SSA) data dating back to 1880—the first official year of state and national tracking. The chart below shows when Kathryn was first recorded in the United States and illustrates how its popularity has risen and fallen over time.
Popularity Over Time (National) — Table
We track the national popularity of each baby name annually. The table below displays each year along with the number of births reported by the Social Security Administration. This data combines all state-level reporting from the SSA's baby names database to provide a comprehensive view of overall birth counts for Kathryn.
| Year | Total Births | Boy | Girl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 381 | 0 | 381 |
| 2024 | 393 | 0 | 393 |
| 2023 | 432 | 0 | 432 |
| 2022 | 452 | 0 | 452 |
| 2021 | 510 | 0 | 510 |
| 2020 | 574 | 0 | 574 |
| 2019 | 651 | 0 | 651 |
| 2018 | 699 | 0 | 699 |
| 2017 | 748 | 0 | 748 |
| 2016 | 839 | 0 | 839 |
| 2015 | 1,021 | 0 | 1,021 |
| 2014 | 1,118 | 0 | 1,118 |
| 2013 | 1,184 | 0 | 1,184 |
| 2012 | 1,230 | 0 | 1,230 |
| 2011 | 1,339 | 0 | 1,339 |
| 2010 | 1,370 | 0 | 1,370 |
| 2009 | 1,526 | 6 | 1,520 |
| 2008 | 1,782 | 0 | 1,782 |
| 2007 | 2,221 | 5 | 2,216 |
| 2006 | 2,425 | 5 | 2,420 |
| 2005 | 2,585 | 6 | 2,579 |
| 2004 | 2,775 | 18 | 2,757 |
| 2003 | 2,948 | 0 | 2,948 |
| 2002 | 3,115 | 6 | 3,109 |
| 2001 | 3,338 | 6 | 3,332 |
| 2000 | 3,644 | 0 | 3,644 |
| 1999 | 3,590 | 0 | 3,590 |
| 1998 | 3,703 | 0 | 3,703 |
| 1997 | 3,881 | 8 | 3,873 |
| 1996 | 4,102 | 0 | 4,102 |
| 1995 | 4,335 | 7 | 4,328 |
| 1994 | 4,626 | 6 | 4,620 |
| 1993 | 5,100 | 8 | 5,092 |
| 1992 | 5,696 | 10 | 5,686 |
| 1991 | 5,844 | 12 | 5,832 |
| 1990 | 6,360 | 7 | 6,353 |
| 1989 | 6,332 | 38 | 6,294 |
| 1988 | 6,365 | 23 | 6,342 |
| 1987 | 6,264 | 26 | 6,238 |
| 1986 | 6,428 | 35 | 6,393 |
| 1985 | 6,663 | 29 | 6,634 |
| 1984 | 6,563 | 25 | 6,538 |
| 1983 | 6,402 | 32 | 6,370 |
| 1982 | 6,312 | 28 | 6,284 |
| 1981 | 5,842 | 19 | 5,823 |
| 1980 | 5,552 | 25 | 5,527 |
| 1979 | 5,334 | 22 | 5,312 |
| 1978 | 4,830 | 22 | 4,808 |
| 1977 | 3,977 | 13 | 3,964 |
| 1976 | 3,274 | 12 | 3,262 |
| 1975 | 2,956 | 9 | 2,947 |
| 1974 | 2,997 | 6 | 2,991 |
| 1973 | 2,893 | 8 | 2,885 |
| 1972 | 3,143 | 16 | 3,127 |
| 1971 | 3,428 | 9 | 3,419 |
| 1970 | 3,730 | 11 | 3,719 |
| 1969 | 3,617 | 0 | 3,617 |
| 1968 | 3,574 | 13 | 3,561 |
| 1967 | 3,695 | 0 | 3,695 |
| 1966 | 4,022 | 14 | 4,008 |
| 1965 | 4,167 | 10 | 4,157 |
| 1964 | 4,948 | 24 | 4,924 |
| 1963 | 4,716 | 15 | 4,701 |
| 1962 | 5,125 | 18 | 5,107 |
| 1961 | 5,240 | 14 | 5,226 |
| 1960 | 5,884 | 16 | 5,868 |
| 1959 | 6,764 | 18 | 6,746 |
| 1958 | 7,340 | 16 | 7,324 |
| 1957 | 7,229 | 18 | 7,211 |
| 1956 | 7,607 | 13 | 7,594 |
| 1955 | 7,654 | 14 | 7,640 |
| 1954 | 8,145 | 8 | 8,137 |
| 1953 | 8,337 | 13 | 8,324 |
| 1952 | 8,517 | 13 | 8,504 |
| 1951 | 8,471 | 11 | 8,460 |
| 1950 | 7,869 | 6 | 7,863 |
| 1949 | 7,196 | 12 | 7,184 |
| 1948 | 6,185 | 8 | 6,177 |
| 1947 | 6,100 | 9 | 6,091 |
| 1946 | 5,005 | 6 | 4,999 |
| 1945 | 3,986 | 15 | 3,971 |
| 1944 | 3,864 | 9 | 3,855 |
| 1943 | 3,661 | 14 | 3,647 |
| 1942 | 3,360 | 10 | 3,350 |
| 1941 | 2,877 | 8 | 2,869 |
| 1940 | 2,449 | 11 | 2,438 |
| 1939 | 2,386 | 7 | 2,379 |
| 1938 | 2,282 | 0 | 2,282 |
| 1937 | 2,336 | 10 | 2,326 |
| 1936 | 2,120 | 10 | 2,110 |
| 1935 | 2,138 | 11 | 2,127 |
| 1934 | 2,266 | 8 | 2,258 |
| 1933 | 2,130 | 9 | 2,121 |
| 1932 | 2,275 | 12 | 2,263 |
| 1931 | 2,210 | 8 | 2,202 |
| 1930 | 2,529 | 14 | 2,515 |
| 1929 | 2,442 | 8 | 2,434 |
| 1928 | 2,687 | 6 | 2,681 |
| 1927 | 2,941 | 8 | 2,933 |
| 1926 | 3,104 | 10 | 3,094 |
| 1925 | 3,267 | 5 | 3,262 |
| 1924 | 3,605 | 7 | 3,598 |
| 1923 | 3,720 | 6 | 3,714 |
| 1922 | 3,799 | 7 | 3,792 |
| 1921 | 4,210 | 9 | 4,201 |
| 1920 | 4,093 | 11 | 4,082 |
| 1919 | 3,834 | 9 | 3,825 |
| 1918 | 4,078 | 10 | 4,068 |
| 1917 | 3,994 | 10 | 3,984 |
| 1916 | 3,933 | 0 | 3,933 |
| 1915 | 3,788 | 10 | 3,778 |
| 1914 | 2,901 | 0 | 2,901 |
| 1913 | 2,252 | 6 | 2,246 |
| 1912 | 1,905 | 0 | 1,905 |
| 1911 | 1,397 | 0 | 1,397 |
| 1910 | 1,198 | 0 | 1,198 |
| 1909 | 1,138 | 0 | 1,138 |
| 1908 | 1,058 | 0 | 1,058 |
| 1907 | 864 | 0 | 864 |
| 1906 | 911 | 0 | 911 |
| 1905 | 788 | 0 | 788 |
| 1904 | 787 | 0 | 787 |
| 1903 | 729 | 0 | 729 |
| 1902 | 717 | 0 | 717 |
| 1901 | 620 | 0 | 620 |
| 1900 | 721 | 0 | 721 |
| 1899 | 621 | 0 | 621 |
| 1898 | 678 | 7 | 671 |
| 1897 | 570 | 0 | 570 |
| 1896 | 625 | 0 | 625 |
| 1895 | 585 | 0 | 585 |
| 1894 | 520 | 0 | 520 |
| 1893 | 534 | 0 | 534 |
| 1892 | 549 | 0 | 549 |
| 1891 | 504 | 0 | 504 |
| 1890 | 474 | 0 | 474 |
| 1889 | 415 | 0 | 415 |
| 1888 | 446 | 0 | 446 |
| 1887 | 384 | 0 | 384 |
| 1886 | 383 | 0 | 383 |
| 1885 | 320 | 0 | 320 |
| 1884 | 344 | 0 | 344 |
| 1883 | 290 | 0 | 290 |
| 1882 | 272 | 0 | 272 |
| 1881 | 218 | 0 | 218 |
| 1880 | 204 | 0 | 204 |
Top States for Kathryn (2024)
We track the most popular states for each baby name every year and highlight the locations where the name appears most frequently. The table below shows the five states with the highest number of births for this name in the selected year. Use the toggle to expand the list to every state with reported births.
| State | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TX | 35 | |
| CA | 34 | |
| PA | 30 | |
| NC | 25 | |
| GA | 18 | |
| OH | 15 | |
| IN | 14 | |
| VA | 13 | |
| FL | 13 | |
| KY | 13 | |
| NY | 12 | |
| MO | 11 | |
| TN | 11 | |
| OK | 10 | |
| AL | 10 | |
| IL | 10 | |
| SC | 10 | |
| WA | 7 | |
| MD | 7 | |
| MI | 7 | |
| MS | 7 | |
| CO | 6 | |
| MA | 6 | |
| MN | 6 | |
| AZ | 6 | |
| NJ | 6 | |
| LA | 5 | |
| WI | 5 | |
| OR | 5 | |
| ID | 5 | |
| AR | 5 |