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