| Katherine | Sophia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Pure | Wisdom |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | KATH-rin | so-FEE-uh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1990 (11,625) | 2012 (22,336) |
| In 2025 | 1,670 | 12,561 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Katherine | Sophia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,675 | 74,758 |
| 2010s | 34,144 | 181,174 |
| 2000s | 65,356 | 119,251 |
| 1990s | 96,885 | 24,503 |
| 1980s | 99,175 | 10,823 |
| 1970s | 54,048 | 4,581 |
| 1960s | 50,619 | 4,908 |
| 1950s | 66,855 | 1,578 |
| 1940s | 39,912 | 1,054 |
| 1930s | 25,193 | 1,117 |
| 1920s | 42,745 | 3,277 |
| 1910s | 36,884 | 5,237 |
| 1900s | 12,105 | 2,460 |
| 1890s | 9,408 | 2,522 |
| 1880s | 6,922 | 1,865 |
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.
Sophia is the Greek word for “wisdom,” long honoured in philosophy and in the Eastern Christian tradition of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia).
Sophia is more popular than Katherine today: about 12,561 US babies were given the name Sophia in 2025, compared with 1,670 named Katherine.
Katherine means Pure (Greek origin), while Sophia means Wisdom (Greek origin).
In US records, Katherine first appears in 1880 and Sophia in 1880, so Katherine has the longer recorded history.