| Eleanor | Katherine | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of uncertain origin, often “light” | Pure |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EL-uh-ner | KATH-rin |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1920 (8,497) | 1990 (11,625) |
| In 2025 | 7,649 | 1,670 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Eleanor | Katherine |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 41,966 | 10,675 |
| 2010s | 40,129 | 34,144 |
| 2000s | 11,187 | 65,356 |
| 1990s | 4,871 | 96,885 |
| 1980s | 2,789 | 99,175 |
| 1970s | 2,750 | 54,048 |
| 1960s | 5,938 | 50,619 |
| 1950s | 11,065 | 66,855 |
| 1940s | 23,761 | 39,912 |
| 1930s | 46,379 | 25,193 |
| 1920s | 74,760 | 42,745 |
| 1910s | 54,163 | 36,884 |
| 1900s | 10,030 | 12,105 |
| 1890s | 4,754 | 9,408 |
| 1880s | 2,136 | 6,922 |
A name of debated origin, long associated with the Greek for “light” or “bright.” Borne by medieval queens.
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.
Eleanor is more popular than Katherine today: about 7,649 US babies were given the name Eleanor in 2025, compared with 1,670 named Katherine.
Eleanor means Of uncertain origin, often “light” (Greek origin), while Katherine means Pure (Greek origin).
In US records, Eleanor first appears in 1880 and Katherine in 1880, so Eleanor has the longer recorded history.