Katherine (given name)

Note: This article deals with the history of the name Katherine. To find people usually known only by the name Katherine, see Katherine (disambiguation). To find people with the given name Katherine who are also known by another name, see All pages beginning with "Katherine", All pages beginning with "Katharine", and All pages beginning with "Catherine".
Katherine

Catherine of Alexandria, by Carlo Crivelli. The name Catherine became famous in Christian communities because of this early saint
Gender Female
Origin
Word/Name Greek
Other names
Nickname(s) Kate, Kath, Cath, Cate, Cat, Kathy, Kathie, Kathi, Katey, Katy, Kay, Kat, Katya, Katyusha, Katie, Kati, Kaki, Kit, Kitty, Kaity, Kasia and Cathy
Related names Katheryn, Kathryn, Katharyn, Katherin, Catharine, Cathryn, Katheryne,Catherine, Katharine, Katharina, Katrin, Kare, Karina

Katherine is a feminine name, which is popular in historically Christian countries, owing to its having been the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.

Contents

Origin and meaning

The name originated from the Greek Αικατερίνη (Aikaterinẽ), which is of unknown etymology. The earliest known use of the Greek name is in reference to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The name came to be associated with καθαρός (katharos), meaning "pure", which led to the alternative spelling Katharine. The theory that the name comes from Hecate, the name of the Greek goddess of magic, is regarded by the editors of the Oxford Dictionary of First Names as unconvincing.[1]

The name "Katherine" is first recorded in England in 1196, having been brought back from the Crusades.[2] The name has been in the 100 most popular names in the US since 1880, the highest position being 25th most common name in 1991, and as of 2008, was at the rank of 45.[3] The spelling Katharine (with a middle a) was more common in the past and is currently more popular in the United States than in Britain. The form Catherine, corresponding with the French version, is also common in English. Less common variants in English include Katheryn, Kathryn, Katharyn, Katherin, Catharine, and Cathryn. The form Karen, of Danish origin, is now often considered an English name in its own right. Diminutives include Katie, Katy, Kate, Kathy, Kathe, Kath, Kay, Kat, Katya, Katyusha, Kitty, Kit, Kasia, Kaya and others.

Variants

See also

References

  1. ^ Patrick Hanks and Kate Hardcastle, eds., Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 154.
  2. ^ Withycombe (1976)
  3. ^ US Census Baby Names lookup retrieved April 23, 2010.