Catherine Name Meaning, Origin & Gender

Catherine Name at a Glance

Name	Catherine
Meaning	Pure, clear. Form of the Latin Katharina, from the Greek Aikaterina. It was borne by a number of saints, including St Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th century martyr who suffered torture on a spiked wheel.
Origin	French
Gender	Girl

What Does the Name Catherine Mean?

According to the information recorded in our baby name database, Catherine means “Pure, clear. Form of the Latin Katharina, from the Greek Aikaterina. It was borne by a number of saints, including St Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th century martyr who suffered torture on a spiked wheel”. Name meanings can vary between languages, regions and naming traditions, so families may also wish to confirm a meaning within the cultural or linguistic context that matters to them.

Catherine Name Origin

Our database records Catherine under French origin. Browse more French baby names to compare other names in the same origin collection.

Is Catherine a Boy or Girl Name?

In our database, Catherine is listed as a girl name. Usage can differ across countries, languages and families.

Choosing the Name Catherine

When considering Catherine for a baby, you may want to compare its recorded meaning and origin with family traditions, pronunciation, spelling, initials, middle names and how the full name sounds with the family name.