| Alexandra | Katherine | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of the people | Pure |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | al-ig-ZAN-druh | KATH-rin |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1894 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1993 (10,683) | 1990 (11,625) |
| In 2025 | 1,314 | 1,670 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alexandra | Katherine |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 9,421 | 10,675 |
| 2010s | 30,971 | 34,144 |
| 2000s | 61,253 | 65,356 |
| 1990s | 94,806 | 96,885 |
| 1980s | 34,817 | 99,175 |
| 1970s | 6,960 | 54,048 |
| 1960s | 3,244 | 50,619 |
| 1950s | 1,598 | 66,855 |
| 1940s | 1,169 | 39,912 |
| 1930s | 444 | 25,193 |
| 1920s | 370 | 42,745 |
| 1910s | 327 | 36,884 |
| 1900s | 58 | 12,105 |
| 1890s | 13 | 9,408 |
| 1880s | 0 | 6,922 |
Alexandra is the feminine of Alexander, from the Greek for “defender of the people.” It has long been a favourite among European royalty.
Katherine comes from the Greek Aikaterine, of debated origin, long associated with katharos, “pure.” A name of saints, empresses and queens, it offers an unusual wealth of nicknames.
Katherine is more popular than Alexandra today: about 1,670 US babies were given the name Katherine in 2025, compared with 1,314 named Alexandra.
Alexandra means Defender of the people (Greek origin), while Katherine means Pure (Greek origin).
In US records, Alexandra first appears in 1894 and Katherine in 1880, so Katherine has the longer recorded history.