Katherine

Meaning

Katherine comes through English from the Greek element meaning “pure.” The excerpted 19th-century sources treat Katherine as a form of Catherine/Katharine and note its wide spread across languages and forms. In English tradition, it is long associated with the saintly name Catherine, helping make it one of the most universal Christian names.

Origin

Fun fact

The old English nicknames Kate and Kitty were especially common for Katherine, and Kitty was said to be almost universal in the previous century.