Female name
Catherine
8,442 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 11.
Origin
Borrowed from French Catherine, from Ancient Greek Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterínē), *Ἑκατερίνη (*Hekaterínē), of debated meaning, possibly from ἑκάτερος (hekáteros, “each of the two”), or from the name of the goddess Hecate. The apheresis of the first syllable as well as the spelling with ⟨th⟩ in Latin languages, German and English, is due to a folk etymology, dating from Roman times, which associated the name with the Ancient Greek καθαρός (katharós, “pure”). The name belonged to a 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on the wheel from where the term Catherine wheel originates.From Wiktionary, entry “Catherine”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Do you know a Catherine?
Send them the page about their name.
How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 880 births. 8,442 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s and 2000s. At its peak, it ranked 68th among girls' names in 1996. It is still given: 388 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1956: 12,075 births. 669,611 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1910s to the 1970s. At its peak, it ranked 18th among girls' names in 1914. It is still given: 4,847 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1964: 1,412 births. 22,641 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. At its peak, it ranked 2nd among girls' names in 1964. It is still given: 86 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 394,885 | 1900–2025 | 1st in 1960 |
| Quebec | 20,029 | 1980–2025 | 1st in 1993 |
| Switzerland | 9,849* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Argentina | 1,052 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Austria | 176 | 1984–2025 | — |
| Berlin | 50 | 2012–2023 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; Open Data Berlin, Häufige Vornamen, CC BY 3.0 DE (every name a child carries, not only the first).
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
11
intuition and inspiration (master number)
3 + 1 + 2 + 8 + 5 + 9 + 9 + 5 + 5 = 47 → 11
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
2
cooperation, sensitivity, connection
1 + 5 + 9 + 5 = 20 → 2
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
9
humanity, generosity, completion
3 + 2 + 8 + 9 + 5 = 27 → 9
- Digits missing from the name
- 4, 6, 7
- Most frequent digit
- 5 · freedom, change, movement
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.