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Catherine Family History

Catherine Surname Meaning

French, English, and Scottish: from the female personal name Catherine (Old French and Middle English Katerine) from Latin Caterina from Greek Aikaterinē which is of uncertain origin. The usual vernacular form in medieval England was Cateline; see Catlin.

The personal name was very popular in the Middle Ages due to Saint Katherine of Alexandria, a legendary Christian figure of doubtful historicity who was supposedly martyred under the Emperor Maxentius in 307.

The modern spelling and pronunciation of the name with -th- is a 16th-century ‘learned’ introduction by clerics and other educated people who believed that it derived from Greek katharos ‘pure’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Catherine family from?

You can see how Catherine families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Catherine family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Catherine families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 82 Catherine families living in London. This was about 36% of all the recorded Catherine's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Catherine families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Catherine surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Catherine ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Catherine. 85% of Catherine women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Catherine | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    85%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    6%
  • Domestic Servant
    6%
  • Incapacitated
    4%

What Catherine family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 24,000 census records available for the last name Catherine. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Catherine census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Catherine

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Catherine. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Catherine immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Catherine. For the veterans among your Catherine ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Catherine military records

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