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, wh ...

. 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 Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. ''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 in ...

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 Catharine may refer to: * Catharine (given name) In geography: * Catharine, New York * St. Catharine, Missouri * Saint Catharine, Kentucky * Catharine, Illinois * Catharine, Kansas * St. Catharines, Ontario See also *Catherina (and similar spe ...

'' and ''Cathryn''. '' Kathleen'' or ''

Cathleen Cathleen is a feminine given name in the English language. It is a variant form of '' Kathleen''. Notable people with the name include: * Cathleen Chaffee, American curator, art historian, writer * Cathleen Falsani, American journalist and writer ...

'', 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 l ...

'', 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 peri ...

) * 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 intelligib ...

) * Akaterina (

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

) * 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 peop ...

) * Cáit (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

) * Caitlín (

) *

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 , which ...

(

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 ide ...

) * Caitlyn (

) * Caitria (

) * Caitrín (

) * Caitrina (

) * Caitríona (

) * Caja (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

) * Cajsa (

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

) * 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 soldi ...

(

) * Carina (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

) * 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 gra ...

) * Caryn (

) * Cat (

) * Cát Linh (

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

) * 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, traditional ...

) *

Catalina Catalina may refer to: Arts and media * ''The Catalina'', a 2012 American reality television show * ''Catalina'' (novel), a 1948 novel by W. Somerset Maugham * Catalina (''My Name Is Earl''), character from the NBC sitcom ''My Name Is Earl'' ...

(

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

) * Catant (

) * Catarina ( Galician,

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 Cate is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Kate. The name comes from Latin, French, English, and Welsh origins. The name literally means either 'pure' or 'blessed', used in different context. The name Catherine is popular in Christian count ...

(

) * 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 ...

) * 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'', ''Kaat ...

(

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

) *

(

) * Catherin (

) * Catherina (

) *

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

(

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

Cathie Cathie is both a feminine given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: *Cathie Adams (born 1950), American politician *Cathie Beck (born 1955), American journalist and writer *Cathie Black (born 1944), American educat ...

(

) *

(

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 a ...

) * 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 **Ger ...

) * Cathrine ( Scandinavian) **

Cathrinus Cathrinus is a Latinized masculine version of the feminine name Katherine. The name originated from the Greek feminine name Αἰκατερίνα or Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterina, Aikaterinē), which is of unknown etymology. The earliest known ...

(Latinized, male) * Cathryn (

) *

Cathy ''Cathy'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip, drawn by Cathy Guisewite from 1976 until 2010. The comic follows Cathy, a woman who struggles through the "four basic guilt groups" of life—food, love, family, and work. The strip gently pokes ...

(

) * Cati (

) * Catia (

) * Cátia (

) * Catie (

) * Catina (

) * Catinca (

) * Catja (

) * Catlin (Middle English) * Cato (

) * Catraoine (

) * Catreena ( Manx) * Catreeney ( Manx) * Catrien (

) * Catrin (

) * Catrine (

) * 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 (

) * Catuxa ( Galician) * Caty (

) *

Ecaterina Ecaterina is a Romanian female first name meaning Catherine. Notable persons with that name include: * Ecaterina Andronescu (born 1948), Romanian politician and engineer *Ecaterina Arbore Ekaterina Arbore, Arbore-Ralli or Ralli-Arbore (rendered ...

(

) * ეკა ''Eka'' (

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

) * Екатерина ''

Ekaterina Ekaterina is a Russian feminine given name, and an alternative transliteration of the Russian language, Russian ''Yekaterina''. Katya and Katyusha are common diminutive forms of Ekaterina. Notable people with the name can be found below. Arts *K ...

'' (

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

, Macedonian) * Екатерина ''

, Jekaterina, Yekaterina'' (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

) *

( Latvian) * ეკატერინე ''Ekaterine'' (

) * ''Gaa Fu Lin'' (

Hong Kong Cantonese Hong Kong Cantonese is a dialect of the Cantonese language of the Sino-Tibetan family. Although Hongkongers refer to the language as "''Cantonese''" (), publications in mainland China describe the variant as ''Hong Kong dialect'' (), due t ...

) * Գադարա ''Gadara'' (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

) * Կատարինէ ''Gadarine'' (

) * Gáhteriinná

Sami Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...

* Gáre

* Gáren

Jekaterina Jekaterina is a given name, a variant of Ekaterina and Yekatarina and a cognate of Katherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation fro ...

(

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 Kaarina (; sv, S:t Karins, i.e. " Saint Catherine's") is a small town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region and is a neighbouring town of Turku, which is the capital of Southwest Finland, therefore Kaarina ...

(

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

) * Kaatje (

) * Kaća ( Serbian) * Кацярына / Kaciaryna ( Belarusian) * Կատարա ''Kadara'' (

) * Կատարինէ ''Kadarine'' (

) * Kadi (

...

) *

Kadri Kadri may refer to: People * Kadri (name), a personal name Places * Kadri, Mangalore, a neighbourhood in Mangalore, India See also * Kadiri, a place of Hindu pilgrimage in Andhra Pradesh, India * Balakadri, form of traditional music on the Caribb ...

(

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Esto