Katherine - Origin and Meaning of the name

[ 3 syll. kat-he-ri-ne, ka-ther-ine ] The girl name Katherine is pronounced KAETHerIHN or KAETHRIHN ^KEY. Katherine is of Old Greek origin and it is used mainly in English. Original forms of the name include Aikaterine (Old Greek), Cateline (Old French), and Katharina (Latin). The name is of uncertain origin; it has from an early date been associated with the Greek katharos ('pure'), which resulted in the '-th-' spelling in the name. This derivation is regarded by some as a misinterpretation by the Romans. The name was later linked to the Greek aikia ('torture'), in reference to the early 4th century Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who was tortured on a breaking wheel before being beheaded; she is revered by Roman Catholics as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Her popularity led to a widespread adoption of the name by English speakers in the Middle Ages, when it was introduced by the Normans. The name was later borne by Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) who helped to establish peace among the Italian city states. As an English royal name, Katherine has been borne by three of Henry VIII's wives, including Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536), the first wife whom the king later tried to divorce and thus led to him defying the pope. The name was later known from the queen consorts of Henry V and Charles II. Elsewhere, the name was borne by Catherine de' Medici (1519-1589), the ruthless wife of King Henry II of France, and Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great, who reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years and was widely regarded as an enlightened despot. In literature, the name appeared as the lead female character Catherine Earnshaw in the Emily Bronte novel Wuthering Heights (1847).

Katherine is a widely used name; it has 190 variations that are used in both English and foreign languages. English variations of Katherine include Caitlon, Caitlyn, Caitria (used in Irish too), Caitrin (used in Irish too), Cari (used in Welsh too), Cass, Cassi, Cassy, Casy, Cat, Cataline, Catarina (used in German, Italian, and Portuguese too), Cate, Cateline, Caterina (used in Italian too), Caterine, Catey, Cath, Catharin, Catharina (used in German too), Catharine, Cathe (used in Italian too), Catheirn, Catheline, Cathenne, Catheren, Catherin, Cathern, Catheryn, Cathi, Cathie, Cathleen, Cathlyn, Cathryn, Cathryne, Cathy, Catie, Catrelle, Catrice, Catricia, Catrina, Catrine, Catteeka, Caty, Cayla, Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Kaitlynn, Kara (used in German and Scottish too), Karen (used in German, Scandinavian, and Dutch too), Karena (used in Scandinavian too), Kari (used in Scandinavian too), Kassia (used in Polish too), Katarine, Katee, Katelin, Katelyn, Katelynn, Kathern, Kathi, Kathie, Kathleen, Kathrein, Kathrene, Kathrine (used in German too), Kathryn (used in German too), Kathryna, Kathryne, Kathrynn, Kathrynne, Kati (used in Estonian and Hungarian too), Katiana (used in Russian too), Katlin, Katlyn, Katlynn, Katria, Katrice, Kayce, Kayla, Kitti (used in Russian too), Rina (used in Dutch, Hebrew, Russian, Estonian, and German too), Tina (used in Scandinavian, Dutch, German, Greek, Russian, Frisian, Italian, and Slavic too), and Trina (used in German too). Other English forms include the short forms Kat, Kate, and Kath, the pet forms Cady, Cassie, Kady (used in Irish too), Kaitey, Kathy, Katie, Katy, Kay, Kit, Kitters, Kittie, and Kitty, and the spelling variants Catherine (used in French too), Kaitlyne, Katharine, Katharyn, Katherin, Katheryn, Katheryne, and Kathreen.

Variations of Katherine used in foreign languages include the Irish Cait, the Irish Caitlin, the Irish and Scottish Caitriona, the Spanish Catalina, the French Catant, the German Catherina, the French Cathérine, the German Cathrin, the German Cathrina, the German Cathrine, the French Catia, the German and Welsh Catrin, the Irish and Scottish Catriona, the Romanian Ecaterina, the Russian Ekaterina, the Russian Jekaterina, the Slavic Kajetana, the Scandinavian Kajsa, the Hawaiian Kakalina, the Finnish, German, and Scandinavian Karin, the Polish Kasia, the Polish Kasienka, the Polish Kasin, the Polish Kaska, the Czech and Hungarian Kata, the Hungarian Katalin, the Finnish Katariina, the Czech and German Katarina, the Polish Katarzyna, the German Katchen, the Russian Katenka, the Iroquoian Kateri, the Czech, German, and Russian Katerina, the Russian Katerinka, the Estonian and German Katharina, the German Kathe, the German Katherina, the German Kathrin, the German Kathrina, the Czech, Hungarian, and Slavic Katica, the Hungarian Katika, the Russian Katinka, the Czech Katiuska, the German and Russian Katja, the Czech and Russian Katka, the Scandinavian Katla, the Hungarian Kato, the Hungarian Katoka, the Polish Katorzyna, the Czech Katoushka, the Czech Katouska, the Finnish Katri, the Dutch Katrien, the Dutch Katrijn, the German and Scandinavian Katrin, the Finnish and German Katrina, the Dutch, Polish, and Scandinavian Katrine, the Russian Katryna, the Scandinavian Katsa, the Hungarian Katus, the Czech Katuska, the Irish Kaytria, the German Käte, the German Käthe, the Italian Ketty, the Russian Ketya, the Russian Kisa, the Russian Kiska, the Lithuanian Kofryna, the Scandinavian Kolina, the Russian Kotinka, the Finnish Riina, the German Tinka, the German Trinchen, the German and Scandinavian Trine, the French Trinette, and the Russian Yekaterina. Specific foreign variants include the pet forms Kaatje (Dutch), Kai (Scandinavian), Kaisa (Finnish and Scandinavian), Kaja (Scandinavian), Katia (Portuguese and Spanish), Katitia (Spanish), and Katya (Polish and Russian).

Katherine is a spelling variant (English) of the English and French Catherine. See also the related form, the Yiddish Reina.

Katherine is very popular as a baby name for girls. The name grew in popularity from the 1930s up to the 1980s. Its usage peaked in 1988 with 0.580% of baby girls being named Katherine. It ranked at #27 then. The baby name has since experienced a decline in frequency. In 2008, it ranked at #45 with a usage of 0.257%, but it was nevertheless the 2nd most popular after the English Kayla, among all girl names in its group. It was used 28% more than Katherine in 2008. Katherine has mostly been a girl name, although in the past century it has also been used for boys. In 1904, the name Katherine was given to 49 times more girls than boys.

Baby names that sound like Katherine include the English Katherin, the English Catherin, the English Katharine, the English and German Kathryn, the English Kathrynn, the English Kathrynne, the English Catharine, the English Katharyn, the English Katheryn, the English Katheryne, the English Kathreen, the English Kathrein, the English Kathrene, the German Kathrina, the English Kathryna, the Dutch Katrien, the Dutch Katrijn, the Finnish and German Katrina, the Russian Katryna, and the English and Italian Caterina.

Details of famous persons named Katherine:
Actress Katherine Heigl, born 24 November 1978.
Author Kate Chopin, born Katherine O'Flaherty, 8 February 1851 - 22 August 1904, St. Louis, Missouri.
Author Katherine Anne Porter, born Callie Russell Porter, 15 May 1890 - 18 September 1980, Indian Creek, Texas.

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