| Mercedes | Catalina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Mercies | uncertain; linked to 'pure' |
| Origin | Spanish | spanish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | mer-SEH-dess | kah-tah-LEE-nah |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1893 |
| Peak year | 1991 (1,798) | 2025 (2,456) |
| In 2025 | 150 | 2,456 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Mercedes | Catalina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,025 | 11,909 |
| 2010s | 2,950 | 9,369 |
| 2000s | 8,454 | 3,742 |
| 1990s | 15,291 | 2,236 |
| 1980s | 4,410 | 1,304 |
| 1970s | 1,985 | 1,001 |
| 1960s | 1,699 | 678 |
| 1950s | 1,741 | 538 |
| 1940s | 1,368 | 422 |
| 1930s | 1,858 | 616 |
| 1920s | 2,828 | 817 |
| 1910s | 1,767 | 278 |
| 1900s | 530 | 73 |
| 1890s | 226 | 26 |
| 1880s | 74 | 0 |
Mercedes means “mercies,” from Our Lady of Mercy.
The Spanish form of Katherine, from the Greek Aikaterine, whose original meaning is unknown. Early Christians associated it with the Greek katharos 'pure', which reshaped the spelling (with -th-), but that 'pure' sense is a later folk association rather than the true root.
Catalina is more popular than Mercedes today: about 2,456 US babies were given the name Catalina in 2025, compared with 150 named Mercedes.
Mercedes means Mercies (Spanish origin), while Catalina means uncertain; linked to 'pure' (spanish origin).
In US records, Mercedes first appears in 1880 and Catalina in 1893, so Mercedes has the longer recorded history.