Meaning and background
The story behind Catherine
Catherine has been used in English for centuries and belongs to the Greek-derived Katherine name family. Its eventual association with the Greek word for pure is well known, but the original derivation remains open to competing explanations. Both two- and three-syllable English pronunciations are recorded, making it especially important not to prescribe one pronunciation to every owner.
- Origin
- English and French form of Greek-derived Katherine Source
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About Catherine
Recorded as a dog’s name
Catherine appears in 6 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/kæθɚən/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
Other dictionary readings and notation
/kæθɚən/ · primary stress on syllable 1K AE1 TH ER0 AH0 N
/kæθɚɪn/ · primary stress on syllable 1K AE1 TH ER0 IH0 N
/kæθɹɪn/ · primary stress on syllable 1K AE1 TH R IH0 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Dictionary readings have 2 or 3 syllables.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.