Catherine
Catherine is a girl name of Greek origin, meaning Pure.
What Catherine means
Pure.
Catherine is a long name at 9 letters, which usually means a nickname will appear whether you plan one or not, and ends on a vowel, which tends to make a name sound open and carry well when called across a room. Its 4 vowels give it a flowing rhythm.
Where Catherine comes from
Greek names often reach back to mythology, philosophy, or the early Church. They tend to be transparently meaningful in the original: many are compounds you can still take apart into their two halves.
Catherine is recorded as Greek in origin. Browse other Greek names.
How popular is Catherine?
Catherine sits outside the top 100 girl names we currently track. For many parents that is the appeal: a name with genuine history behind it that has not been picked up by everyone at once.
The character of Catherine
Catherine spans the long-established classics and royalty and rule, which is why it can read differently depending on which association you notice first. Both threads are worth following.
Names like Catherine
These share Catherine's themes, origin, or both — closest first.
- Alexander — Defender of the people.
- Charlotte — Free; petite and feminine.
- Eleanor — Shining light.
- Augusta — Great and venerable.
- Diana — Divine; goddess of the moon and hunt.
- Elizabeth — Pledged to God; God is my oath.
- Sarah — Princess; noblewoman.
- Victoria — Victory.
- August — Great, venerable, majestic.
- Cesare — Long-haired; emperor.
- Charles — Free man.
- Henry — Ruler of the home.
More Greek names
- Castor — The shining one; a bright star.
- Chloe — Young green shoot; blooming.
- Cassia — Cinnamon; a sweet spice.
- Cleo — Glory; pride.
- Cassandra — Shining upon man; a prophetess.
- Cora — Maiden.
- Calliope — Beautiful voice; muse of poetry.
- Cosima — Order; beauty; the universe.
- Calla — Beautiful; the calla lily.
- Cosmo — Order; the universe.