Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine

names A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A persona ...

. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints,

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, ...

. In the early Christian era it came to be associated with the Greek adjective (), 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 The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

Popularity and variations

English

In Britain and the U.S., ''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 French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. Less-common variants in English include ''Katheryn'', ''Katharyn'', ''Kathryne'', ''Katheryne'', ''Katherin'', ''Kathrine'', '' Catharine'' and ''Cathryn''. '' 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 Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic la ...

'', of Danish origin, is now often considered an independent name in English. Diminutives include ''Katie'', ''Katy'', ''Kate'', ''Kathy'', ''Kathe'', ''Kath'', ''Kay'', ''Kat'', ''Katja''/''Katya'', ''Kota'', ''Katyusha'', ''Katrya'', ''Kitty'', ''Kit'', ''Kasia'', and others.

Other languages

* Αἰκατερίνη (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

) * Aikaterine (

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...

) * Akaterina ( Turkish) * Cadi (

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

) * Cáit ( Irish) * Caitlín ( Irish) *

Caitlin Caitlin () is a female given name of Irish origin. Historically, the Irish name Caitlín was anglicized as Cathleen or Kathleen. In the 1970s, however, non-Irish speakers began pronouncing the name according to English spelling rules as , whic ...

(

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

) * Caitlyn (

) * Caitria ( Irish) * Caitrín ( Irish) * Caitrina ( Irish) * Caitríona ( Irish) * Caja ( Danish) * Cajsa ( Swedish) * Caren (

) *

Carin Carin is a given name and surname. As a given name it is a variant spelling of Karin. Notable persons with the name Carin include: Persons with the given name * Carin Cone (born 1940), American swimmer * Carin du Rietz (1766–1788), Swedish sold ...

(

) * Carina ( Portuguese) * Carine (

; spelled Karien in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...

) * Caryn (

) * Cat (

) * Cát Linh ( Vietnamese) * Cătălina (

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

) * Catalina ( Italian, Spanish) * Catant (

) * Catarina ( Galician, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish,

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...

) * Cate (

) * Cateline (Old French) * Cateliña ( Galician) * Caterina (

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

, Italian,

) * Caterine (Old French) * Cathanne (

) * Cathareau (

) *

Catharina Catharina is a feminine given name, the Dutch and Swedish spelling of the name Catherine. In the Netherlands, people use a great number of short forms in daily life, including ''Carine'', ''Catelijne'', ''Cato'', ''Ina'', ''Ineke'', ''Kaat'', ''Kaa ...

( Dutch, Swedish) * Catharine (

) * Catherin (

) * Catherina ( Spanish) * Catherine (

) * Catherne (17th century English) * Cathey ( Nordic) * Cathie (

) * Cathleen (

Hiberno-English Hiberno-English (from Latin '' Hibernia'': "Ireland"), and in ga, Béarla na hÉireann. or Irish English, also formerly Anglo-Irish, is the set of English dialects native to the island of Ireland (including both the Republic of Ireland ...

) * Cathrin (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

) * Cathrine ( Scandinavian) ** Cathrinus (Latinized, male) * Cathryn (

) * Cathy (

) * Cati ( Italian) * Catia ( Italian) * Cátia ( Portuguese) * Catie (

) * Catina (

) * Catinca (

) * Catja ( Danish) * Catlin (Middle English) * Cato ( Dutch) * Catraoine ( Irish) * Catreena ( Manx) * Catreeney ( Manx) * Catrien ( Dutch) * Catrin (

) * Catrine ( Swedish) * Catrinel (

) * Catrina (

) * Catrìona (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

) * Catterina ( Italian) * Catuxa ( Galician) * Caty ( Italian) * Ecaterina (

) * ეკა ''Eka'' ( Georgian) * Екатерина '' Ekaterina'' ( Bulgarian,

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Ma ...

) * Екатерина '' Ekaterina, Jekaterina, Yekaterina'' ( Russian) * Ekaterina ( Latvian) * ეკატერინე ''Ekaterine'' ( Georgian) * ''Gaa Fu Lin'' ( Hong Kong Cantonese) * Գադարա ''Gadara'' ( Armenian) * Կատարինէ ''Gadarine'' ( Armenian) * Gáhteriinná Sami * Gáre Sami * Gáren Sami * Jekaterina (

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...

) * Kaarat Greenlandic * Kaarin (

) * Kaarina ( Finnish) * Kaatje ( Dutch) * Kaća (

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation ...

) * Кацярына / Kaciaryna ( Belarusian) * Կատարա ''Kadara'' ( Armenian) * Կատարինէ ''Kadarine'' ( Armenian) * Kadi (

) * Kadri (

) * Kaety (

) * Káhtariinná Sami * Kai (

, Swedish) * Kaia (

, Norwegian) * Kaie (

) * Kaight (

) * Kaija ( Finnish) * Kaila (

) * Kaili (

) * Kailie (

) * Kailani ( Hawaiian) * Καιλαύρα / كلارا / Kelavra ( Greek, Hawaiian,

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

) * Kailua ( Hawaiian) * Καινά / كائنا / Kena (

, Greek,

) * Καίρα / كيرا / Kera ( Greek,

) * Καίρη / كيري/カイリ / Keri ( Greek,

, Japanese, Hawaiian) * Καίρια (Keria) ( Greek,

) * Kairi (

, Greek, Japanese) * Kairia (

, Greek, Japanese) * Kaisa (

, Finnish) * ''Kai Sa Lin'' (

traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

) * 凯瑟琳 ''Kai Se Lin'' (

simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions ...

) * Kaisu ( Finnish) * Kait (

) * Kaitlan (

) * Kaitlane (

) * Kaitlin (

) * Kaitline (

) * Kaitlyn (

) * Kaitlynne (

) * Kaitrin (

, Swedish) * Kaitrina ( Dutch,

, Swedish) * Kaity (

) *

Kaj Kaj may refer to: Places in Iran * Kaj, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari * Kaj, Hamadan * Kaj, Isfahan * Kaj, Qom * Kaj, Razavi Khorasan * Kaj, Sistan and Baluchestan Other uses * Kaj River, a river of Afghanistan * Kaj (name) * A fictional frog ...

( Swedish, male) * Kaja ( Scandinavian,

, Polish) * Kajsa ( Swedish) * Kakalina ( Hawaiian) * Kalena ( Hawaiian) * Kalina ( Hawaiian) * Katerina ( Albanian) * Κάρα ( Kara) (

, Greek, Japanese) * Káre ( Sami) * Káren ( Sami) *

( Danish,

, Norwegian, Dutch) * Karena (

) * Karenina (

, Scandinavian, Russian) * Karentina (

, Scandinavian, Russian) * Kari ( Norwegian) * Kary ( Norwegian) * Karia ( Norwegian) * Karien (

, Dutch) * Kariinná ( Sami) * Karin (

, Dutch,

, Faroese, Finnish,

, Swedish) * Karina (

, Polish, Russian,

) * Կարինե / Karine ( Armenian,

) * Karoun (

, Armenian) * Karyn (

) * Karyna (

, Polish) * 笠利 ''Kasari'' ( Japanese) * Kat (

) *

Kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practise ...

( Croatian, Finnish, Hungarian) * Katalin ( Basque, Hungarian) * Katalina ( Basque,

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communic ...

, Hungarian) * Katariina (

, Finnish) * Katarin ( Basque, Breton) * Katarína ( Slovak) * Katarina ( Bosnian, Croatian,

, Hungarian,

, Slovene, Swedish, Turkish) * Katarine (

) * Katarino (

) *

Katarzyna Katarzyna is a Polish given name, equivalent to English "Catherine". Its diminutive forms include Kasia, Katarzynka, Kasieńka, Kasiunia, Kasiulka; augmentative – Kaśka, Kacha, Kachna. Individuals named Katarzyna may choose their name da ...

( Polish) * Kate ( Croatian,

) * Kate (

) * Katerine (

) * Katen ( Dutch) * Katelijn ( Dutch) * Katelijne ( Dutch) * Καίτη (Keti) ( Greek) * Καίτυ (Kety) ( Greek) * Katia ( Italian) * Kátia ( Portuguese) * Κάτια (''

Katia Katia is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katya. Notable people with this name Actresses and models * Katia Dandoulaki, Greek actress * Katia Margaritoglou, Greek fashion model and beauty contestant *Katia Winter (born 1983), Swed ...

'') ( Greek) * Katya ( Russian), ( Bulgarian), (

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

) * Katelin (

) * Kateline (Middle English) * Katell ( Breton) * Katelyn (

) * Katelynn (

) * Katelynne (

) * Katenka ( Russian) * Kateri ( Mohawk) * Katerien (

), ( Dutch) * Kateřina ( Czech) * Κατερίνα/Katerina ( Albanian, Bulgarian, Greek, Latin,

, Russian,

) * Katerine (Middle English) * Katerino (

) * Kateřina ( Czech) * Kateryna (

) * Katerynka (

) * Καθαλαύρα/Kathalavra ( Greek,

) * Καθάνδρα (Kathandra) ( Greek) * Καθανδρέα (Kathandrea) ( Greek) * Kathani (

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

) * Kathanna (

) * Kathanne (

) * Kathareau (

) * Katharina (

, Latin) * Katharine (

), (

) ( Dutch) * Καθαρσία (Katharsia) ( Greek) * Käthe (

) * Kathelijne ( Dutch) * Katherina (

) * Katherne (17th century English) * Katheryn (

) * Katheryne (

) * Kathey (

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...

) * Kathi (

) * Kathie (

) * Kathianna (

) * Kathianne (

) * Kathlaura (

) * Kathlauren (

) * Kathlaurie (

) * Kathleanna (

) * Kathleanne (

) * Kathleen (

) * Kathlyn (

) * Kathreena (

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

) * Kathrina (

) * Kathrin (

) * Kathru (

) * Kathryn (

) * Kathy (

) * Kati (

, Finnish, Hungarian) * Катя ''

Katya Katya is a feminine given name. It is a very popular name in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, and North Macedonia. It is a Russian diminutive form of Yekaterina, which is a Russian form of Katherine.This name is also can be spelled Katia.MFn ...

Katja Katja is a feminine given name. In Germany, the Netherlands, Flanders, and Scandinavia, it is a pet form of Katherine. Katja may refer to: Music *Katja Andy (1906–2013), German-American pianist *Katja Ebstein (born 1945), German singer * Katj ...

'' ( Russian,

) * Katica ( Croatian, Czech,

, Slovene, Hungarian) * Katie (

) * Katika ( Danish) * Κατίνα (Katina) ( Greek) * Κatina, Katinja (

) * Katinka (

, Hungarian, Russian) * Katixa ( Basque) *

( Croatian, Dutch, Finnish,

, Russian, Slovene,

) * Katka ( Czech, Russian) * Katlyn (

) * Kätlin (

) * კატო ''Kato'' ( Georgian) * Kató ( Hungarian) * Katóka ( Hungarian) * Katre (

) * Katri ( Finnish) * Katrian (

, Dutch,

Flemish Dutch Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

) * Katriana ( Portuguese, Spanish) * Katrianna ( Danish, Dutch,

, Norwegian, Swedish) * Katrianne (

) * Katrien (

, Dutch,

) * Katriin (

) * Katriina ( Finnish) * Katrijn ( Dutch, spelled 'Katryn' in

and

, see below) *

Katrin Katrin is a feminine given name. It is a German and Swedish contracted form of Katherine. Katrin may refer to: Sports * Katrin Apel (born 1973), German biathlete * Katrin Beinroth (born 1981), German judoka * Katrin Borchert (born 1969), German ...

(

, Faroese,

, Swedish) * Katrina ( Danish, Dutch,

, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish) * Katrīna ( Latvian) * Katrine ( Dutch,

, Gaelic, Scandinavian) * Katrinka ( Dutch,

, Russian) * Katushka ( Russian) * Katrusia (

) * Katuška ( Czech) * Katriona (

) * Katryn (

) * Katy (

) * Kay (

) * Kaye (

) * Kerry (

) * ქეთა ''Keta'' ( Georgian) * ქეთევან ''Ketevan'' ( Georgian) * ქეთი ''Keti'' ( Georgian) * ქეთო ''Keto'' ( Georgian) * Ketlen * Ketlin (

) * Ketrina ( Albanian) * Kitty (English) * Koto ( Hungarian) * Kotryna ( Lithuanian) * Кася / Kasia ( Belarusian) * Kasia ( Polish) * Kaśka ( Polish) * Kasieńka ( Polish) * Kyla (

) * Kylie (

) * Kysa (Finnish) * Nienke ( Dutch) * Nynke ( Frisian) * Qatherine (

) * Quatherine (

) * Reina ( Japanese,

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

) *

Riin Riin is an Estonian feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Riin Emajõe (born 1993), Estonian footballer * Riin Tamm (born 1981), Estonian geneticist References {{Given name Estonian feminine given names ...

(

) * Riina (

, Finnish) * Rina ( Croatian) *

Triin Triin is an Estonian feminine given name. Triinu is another version of Triin. It is a form of '' Katherine''. It is likely that the name Triin derives from the North Germanic name Trina which was first documented in 1652, in Sweden Swede ...

(

) *

Triinu Trina is a common female first name of Scandinavian origin. The name is based on the Latin word for "triple", Trena, and is occasionally used in reference to the Trinity. Trina is often used as a shortened version of names such as Katrina. In d ...

(

) * Trijn ( Dutch) * Trijntje ( Dutch) *

Trina Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga". Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the mos ...

(

) * Trinchen (

) * Trine ( Danish,

) * Trīne ( Latvian) * Trinette (

) * Tríona (

Irish Gaelic Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was th ...

)

References

Feminine given names Given names Given names of Greek language origin