Kathreen
A feminine name derived from the Greek name Katharina, meaning "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 233 living Americans carry the first name Kathreen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kathreen today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kathreen births was 1950 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kathreen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
233
~ 1 in 1,471,049 Americans
Peak year
1950
12 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2001 SSA rank
#14,408
Tracked since 1912
Census
Kathreen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 467 people with the first name Kathreen, which placed it at #21,646 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,646
National first-name rank
People counted
467
467 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kathreen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kathreen is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%) and Black (7.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kathreen described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kathreen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.2% · 323
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.4% · 58
- Black or African American7.3% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 32
- Two or more races3.2% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 5
Popularity
Kathreen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kathreen from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kathreen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kathreen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kathreen
The name Kathreen is of English origin, derived from the Greek name Katharina, which means "pure" or "innocent." The name has been in use since the Middle Ages, with its earliest recorded appearance dating back to the 12th century.
The name Kathreen gained popularity in England during the medieval period, particularly among the nobility. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Here, a woman named Kathreen is listed as a landowner in Lincolnshire.
In the 13th century, the name Kathreen was borne by St. Kathreen of Alexandria, a Christian martyr and one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic Church. Her story, which involves her refusal to renounce her faith and her subsequent torture and execution, was widely disseminated throughout Europe and contributed to the name's popularity.
During the Renaissance period, the name Kathreen was associated with several prominent figures. One notable example is Kathreen of Aragon (1485-1536), the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. Despite her piety and devotion, her marriage to Henry was annulled, leading to the English Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.
In the 17th century, the name Kathreen was borne by the English philosopher and writer Kathreen Philips (1631-1664), widely regarded as the first woman to earn a living through her literary works. Her poetry and prose were highly acclaimed during her lifetime and inspired generations of female writers.
Another noteworthy figure with the name Kathreen is Kathreen Whitehorn (1928-2021), a British journalist, writer, and pioneering feminist. She was a regular contributor to various publications, including The Observer and The Guardian, and was known for her wit and insightful commentary on social issues.
Throughout history, the name Kathreen has been popular across various cultures and societies, reflecting its enduring appeal and rich heritage. Its association with purity, innocence, and strength has made it a timeless choice for parents seeking a name with depth and significance.
People
Kathreen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kathreen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kathreen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kathreen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 233 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kathreen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,471,049 US residents.
Is Kathreen a common name?
We classify Kathreen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 372 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kathreen most popular?
The single biggest year for Kathreen was 1950, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kathreen is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kathreen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 467 people with the name Kathreen, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,646 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kathreen in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kathreen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kathreen appears almost entirely female. Of the 465 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kathreen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kathreen is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%) and Black (7.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kathreen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kathreen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (323 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kathreen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kathreen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kathreen in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kathreen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kathreen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kathreen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Kathreen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.