Catherine is one of the most famous and common names across the globe. The name has different meanings in different languages. However, Catherine is considered as one of the holy names and spiritual names which is probably suitable to name a girl. Christian Parents around the world love the name Catherine, and they would love to name their girl baby Catherine as the name contains some spiritual energy within it. Read more Is Catherine a biblical name?
The religion of the name Catherine:
Catherine is a derived word from the Greek word Katharos. That means clean and pure. This Katharos word is mentioned in Greek Bibles and like Katharos other similar words are also mentioned in Latin and Hebrew Bibles to mention the meaning of Pure and clean. So, the word Catherine is majorly used among the Christians in ancient times, and it is still followed by the people. Thus Catherine is of Christian Origin.
The main Origin of the Name Catherine:
To be honest, there are no characters called Catherine in The Holy Bible. The English Testaments of the Bible were actually translated by languages like Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. And so, The name Catherine was found to be derived from Greek and Latin Languages.
There are many possibilities that the name Catherine might have derived from different languages like Greek, Latin, and French. But, Researchers and Language specialists found that the main origin of the name Catherine comes from the Greek word “Katharos” from the archaic Bible.
The origin story of the word Catherine:
There are two major aspects that the name Catherine might have known as a biblical name even though it is not.
1. The name Catherine is not defining any Characters from The Bible. But, a word from the Bible, it is a custom in every language to name their babies in the words from their native language. Mostly the parents love to name their children with some good meaning or valuable heritage style name or a biblical reference names. People believe that naming their children with biblical references will make a baby honest, good nature, kind and healthy. So, most people name their children with some biblical reference. like, Sarah, Martha and, Mary.
2. In the Archaic age, people who had been named Catherine mostly have been sainted in the previous ages. Some saints are highly notable in their ages.
Several Catherine’s through the ages have been sainted, including:
- Saint Catherine of Alexandria (4th century, one of the first Christian saints)
- Saint Catherine of Bologna (1413-1463)
- Saint Catherine of Genoa (circa 1447-1510)
- Saint Catherine Laboure (1806-1876)
- Saint Catherine of Ricci, O.P. (1522-1590)
- Saint Catherine of Siena, O.P. (Doctor of the Church, 1347-1380)
- Saint Catherine of Sweden (circa 1332-1381)
These are some of the remarkable saints during earlier ages. They had a higher value and dogmatic life during their time. So, they can also be a reason for people to believe that Catherine is a holy, biblical name and it has a higher value than any normal name. The name Catherine meanings also tends to hold the features of purity, chastity, and cleansing elements.
The meaning of the name Catherine:
In Greek Language, Katharos is derived as Catherine in English, and it means “Pure”.
In English, we would rather compile this Name Catherine under Pure and Innocent.
In French, Catherine means Pure and clear.
So overall The meaning of the name Catherine is Pure, clean, clear, and chaste. In different languages, it might spell differently, but all have some similarities among them. And all have the same meaning without any difference between them.
Some verses from Bible which means the word, Catherine:
- “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8
- “Now you are clean through the word that I have spoken to you.” – John 15:3
In these verses instead of using pure or clean, the Greek language bible contains the word Katharos. While Translators and copyists were translating the other language Bible such as Greek, Latin, French, and Hebrew, they changed the word Katharos into pure or clean. But somehow by the native speakers of those languages, the word Katharos was altered into a name Catherine and the name was still followed by the people due to its lucid meaning and Saint Holy belief.
Conclusion:
Catherine is one of the popular names across the globe. From, the United States alone there are more than 612,000 people are named Catherine. This name is in the ninety-second position of the popularity rank for names in the United States. And the word Katharos from the Greek archaic bible is the closest word to the name Catherine. And some people can feel their name also feels closest to the Lord.
Frequently asked questions:
What are the names which are similar to Catherine’s?
Kathryn, Katharyn, Kathyrin, Katheryne, Caitlyn, Ekaterin, Ekaterina, Kathleen, Katherine, Katarin, Catarina, Cathryn, Catharina, Katharyn, and Katheryn. These are some of the different pronunciations and spelling of the original name Catherine or the word Katharos. Which are pronounced differently and it modulates its spellings.
What are the nicknames of the name Catherine?
Katie, Kitty, Kathy, Kathryn, Cat, Kate are some common nicknames for the name Catherine.
