Katherine

Katherine, also spelled Catherine and other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and it variants are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.

For other uses, see Katherine (disambiguation).
For saints with this name, see St. Catherine (disambiguation).
Look up Katherine or Catherine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Katherine
Catherine of Alexandria, by Carlo Crivelli. The name Catherine became famous in Christian communities because of this early saint.
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameGreek
Other names
Nickname(s)Kaight, Kate, Kath, Cat, Catt, Cate, Catey, Cath, Catie, Cayte, Kathy, Kathie, Kathi, Katie, Katey, Katy, Kay, Kat, Katya, Katyusha, Kati, Kit, Kitty, Kasia, Cathy, Cathie
Related namesKatheryn, Kathryne, Kathryn, Katharyn, Katherin, Katheryne, Katharine, Ketherane, Katerine, Katrine, Katrin, Kathrin, Katharina, Katrina, Katarina, Katerina, Catheryn, Cathryne, Cathryn, Catharyn, Catherin, Catheryne, Catharine, Cetherane, Caterine, Catrin, Cathrin, Catharina, Catrina, Catarina, Caterina, Katalina, Catalina, Karina, Carina, Ekaterina, Yekaterina, Chatarina, Aikaterine, Katarzyna

In the early Christian era it came to be associated with the Greek adjective καθαρός (katharos), meaning "pure", leading to the alternative spellings Katharine and Katherine. The former spelling, with a middle a, was more common in the past and is currently more popular in the United States than in Britain. Katherine, with a middle e, was first recorded in England in 1196 after being brought back from the Crusades.[1]

Popularity and variations

English

In Britain and America, Catherine and its variants have been among the 100 most popular names since 1880. The most common variants are Katherine, Kathryn, and Katharine. The spelling Catherine is common in both English and French. Less-common variants in English include Katheryn, Katharyn, Kathryne, Katheryne, Katherin, Kathrine, Catharine and Cathryn.[2][3][4][5]

Kathleen or Cathleen, an Anglicized form of the Irish form Caitlín, has become established in the US among people with no Irish background, but is less popular in England and Wales.

The form Karen, of Danish origin, is now often considered an independent name in English.

Diminutives include Katie, Katy, Kate, Kathy, Kathe, Kath, Kay, Kat, Katja or Katya, Kota, Katyusha, Katrya, Kitty, Kit, Kasia, and others.

Language variants

The following is a list of various forms of the name Katherine, all ultimately derived from the single common origin, the Ancient Greek: καθαρός. They are in use as a given name in the language noted, or were formerly. The list includes short or pet forms (hypocorisms), associated with Katherine or one of its variants:

See also
  • All pages with titles beginning with Catherine
  • All pages with titles beginning with Katharine
  • All pages with titles beginning with Katherine
  • All pages with titles beginning with Kathrine
  • All pages with titles beginning with Katie

References
  1. Withycombe, E. G. (1976). The Concise Dictionary of English Christian Names (3rd ed.). London: Omega Books. ISBN 1-85007-059-8.
  2. United States Social Security Administration. "Top Names Over the Last 100 Years". United States. Retrieved 3 November 2012. refers to 1912-2011: the order is Kathleen (rank 33), Catharine (rank 40), Katharine (42), Kathryn (72)
  3. United States Social Security Administration. "Popular Baby Names". Retrieved 3 November 2012., for 2011 the order is Katherine (61), Catherine (161), Kathryn (237), Kathleen (632).
  4. UK government Office for National Statistics. "Baby Names in England and Wales, 2011". Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  5. UK government Office for National Statistics. "Baby Names, England and Wales, 1904-1994". Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  6. De Felice, Emidio (1995) [1986]. Dizionario dei nomi italiani (in Italian) (3 ed.). Milan: Mondadori.
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