Katherine comes from the Greek Aikaterine, a name of uncertain origin that has been linked since early Christian times to katharos, "pure". Saint Catherine of Alexandria carried it across Europe, and Katharine Hepburn gave it Hollywood glamour. Katherine was number 33 among US girls' names in 2000 and stayed in the top 100 until the mid-2010s; it has since eased to number 186 in 2025, while Kate, Katie and Kathryn remain popular on their own.