Catherine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Catherine

What does the name Catherine mean?

Noble surnames, such as Catherine, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Catherine, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Bourgoigne. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate.The Catherine family originally derived their surname from the name of the town of Chatenay, in the province of Bourgoigne.

Early Origins of the Catherine family

The surname Catherine was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France where the family has been traced back to ancient times.

Early History of the Catherine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Catherine research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1286, 1431 and 1580 are included under the topic Early Catherine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Catherine Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Chatenay, Chatenais, Chatenaie, Chateney, Chatnay, Chatnais, Chatnaie, Chatney, Chatenaies, Chatnaies, Chattenay, Chattenais, Chattenaie, Chatteney, Chatonay, du Chatenay, de Chatenay, du Chatenay, Chastenay, Chastenet and many more.

Early Notables of the Catherine family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Catherine Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Catherine Ranking

France, the name Catherine is the 2,273^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,831 people with that name. 1

Catherine migration to the United States +

Catherine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Catherine, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718-1724 2

Catherine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anne Catherine, aged 20, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2

Catherine migration to Canada +

Catherine Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Louis Catherine, aged 40, who landed in Canada in 1643

Catherine migration to Australia +

Catherine Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Eleanor Catherine, English convict who was convicted in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Miss. Catherine McLearn, (b. 1824), aged 23, British housemaid who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Asia V" on 9th March 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1938 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Catherine (post 1700) +

Mrs. Julia Catherine Donaldson C.B.E., M.B.E. (b. 1948), English writer from London, playwright and performer, best known for The Gruffalo, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Literature by her Majesty The Queen 5
Florence Catherine Currier (1924-2025), known professionally as Jane Morgan, was an American singer and recording artist of traditional pop, initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving six gold records
Rachel Catherine Homan (b. 1989), Canadian international curler and the reigning women's world champion in 2024, five-time Canadian national champion, and two-time World Champion
Rosalie Catherine Wilkins (1946-2024), Baroness Wilkins, a British Labour politician and television presenter
Mary Catherine Murphy (1939-2024), American politician, Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (1977-2023)
Mary Catherine Mallen, born in Boston, Massachusetts, known for Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Anna Catherine Turley (b. 1978), British former politician, Chair of the Co-operative Party (2019)
Mary Catherine Tinney (1924-2006), Irish diplomat, Irish Ambassador to Sweden from 1973 to 1978, Ireland's first female ambassador
Bridget Catherine Regan (b. 1982), American actress known for portrayals in the television series Legend of the Seeker, Rebecca Lowe / Rachel Turner in White Collar, Rose Solano in Jane the Virgin and Dottie Underwood in Agent Carter

Sources +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia-v
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists