Pure by later association, in the Catherine-derived route; original meaning uncertain.
The female Katherine short-name route is explicit; Welsh male-name, surname and other K-initial nickname routes are excluded. Catherine explicitly documents a Roman-era folk association with Greek katharos, pure, rather than a proven original derivation. Alternative ancient origins remain debated; no purity or personality is asserted for a bearer. Supporting evidence: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Katherine&oldid=94540728 https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Catherine&oldid=93813067.
Origin
Multiple name routes: Welsh Cai-related male use, surnames, and Katherine or other K- female short forms.
The exact personal-name definitions explicitly distinguish these formations. A single rejoice, pure or keeper-of-keys meaning is not imposed across the unrelated routes.
English pronunciation
/ˈkeɪ/
English reading attached to the exact personal-name entry.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Published name usage
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
Place
Year
Recorded usage
Published births
Rank
Notes
Canada
2024
Girls
8
2445
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France
2022
Girls
5 (rounded to 5)
6574
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
France
2025
Boys
5 (rounded to 5)
5520
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2025
Girls
3
5927
Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2019
Boys
3
4702
Historical source: not all years independently cross-checked. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland
2009
Girls
6
512
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland
2015
Girls
3
896
Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States
2025
Girls
37
3903
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States
2025
Boys
10
7679
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Sources & notes
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Meaning: Pure by later association, in the Catherine-derived route; original meaning uncertain.
Checked against cited source
The female Katherine short-name route is explicit; Welsh male-name, surname and other K-initial nickname routes are excluded. Catherine explicitly documents a Roman-era folk association with Greek katharos, pure, rather than a proven original derivation. Alternative ancient origins remain debated; no purity or personality is asserted for a bearer. Supporting evidence: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Katherine&oldid=94540728 https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Catherine&oldid=93813067. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adaptation: language scope and exact-name evidence condensed by Rare Baby Names; no audio or images reused. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Short form of: Catherine
Checked against cited source
English given-name relationship. These spellings remain separate in popularity statistics.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin: Multiple name routes: Welsh Cai-related male use, surnames, and Katherine or other K- female short forms.
Checked against cited source
The exact personal-name definitions explicitly distinguish these formations. A single rejoice, pure or keeper-of-keys meaning is not imposed across the unrelated routes. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adaptation: language scope and exact-name evidence condensed by Rare Baby Names; no audio or images reused. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
English pronunciation: /ˈkeɪ/
Checked against cited source
English reading attached to the exact personal-name entry. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adaptation: language scope and exact-name evidence condensed by Rare Baby Names; no audio or images reused. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.
