Katherine (given name)

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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
Carlo Crivelli 014.jpg
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
Look up Katherine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Katherine is a feminine name. It is popular in historically Christian countries, as it was the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.

Contents

[edit] Origin and meaning

The name originated from the Greek Αικατερίνη (Aikaterinẽ). The earliest known use of the Greek name was in reference to Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

The name is of unknown etymology. 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 has subsequently come to be associated with καθαρός (katharos), meaning "pure", which in turn led to the alternative spellings "Katharine" and "Katherine". The former spelling, with a middle 'a', was more common in the past and is currently more popular in the United States than in Britain. "Katherine", with a middle 'e', was first recorded in England in 1196 after being brought back from the Crusades.[2]

"Katherine" and its variants have been among the 100 most popular names in the US since 1880. At its most popular, in 1991, it ranked 25th. By 2008, it ranked 45th.[3]

[edit] Variants

In English, the most common variants are "Catharine", "Katharine" and "Katherine". "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.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Patrick Hanks and Kate Hardcastle, eds., Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 154.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Withycombe, E. G. (1976). The Concise Dictionary of English Christian Names (3rd ed.). London: Omega Books. ISBN 1-855007-059-8. 
  3. ^ US Census Baby Names lookup retrieved April 23, 2010.
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