| Katherine | Sofia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Pure | Wisdom |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | KATH-rin | so-FEE-ah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1881 |
| Peak year | 1990 (11,625) | 2015 (9,702) |
| In 2025 | 1,670 | 8,252 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Katherine | Sofia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,675 | 45,288 |
| 2010s | 34,144 | 82,402 |
| 2000s | 65,356 | 43,380 |
| 1990s | 96,885 | 7,827 |
| 1980s | 99,175 | 2,643 |
| 1970s | 54,048 | 1,576 |
| 1960s | 50,619 | 898 |
| 1950s | 66,855 | 515 |
| 1940s | 39,912 | 380 |
| 1930s | 25,193 | 454 |
| 1920s | 42,745 | 628 |
| 1910s | 36,884 | 429 |
| 1900s | 12,105 | 166 |
| 1890s | 9,408 | 113 |
| 1880s | 6,922 | 45 |
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.
From Greek 'sophia' (σοφία) meaning 'wisdom'. Long established as a given name honoring Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia).
Sofia is more popular than Katherine today: about 8,252 US babies were given the name Sofia in 2025, compared with 1,670 named Katherine.
Katherine means Pure (Greek origin), while Sofia means Wisdom (greek origin).
In US records, Katherine first appears in 1880 and Sofia in 1881, so Katherine has the longer recorded history.