Katrena
Feminine
Katrena writes a Slavic shape with an American vowel. The eastern European forms of this name drop the h that English keeps and put the stress differently, giving Katrina, Katarina and Katerina; this spelling takes that shape and substitutes an e in the middle, which is an American respelling of a Slavic respelling of a Greek name.
How old is the name Katrena?
Katrena first appears in US birth records in 1929 — 96 years ago. The typical Katrena alive today was born around 1976, making them about 49 years old. About 1,300 people named Katrena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Katrena most popular?
Katrena peaked in 1972, reaching #1380 nationally. See the whole 1972 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From A Greek name of unknown origin to Katrena
The story of Katrena
Every language that took this name reshaped it, and the reshapings are systematic rather than random. Slavic languages dropped the h, which they had no use for, and adjusted the vowels to their own patterns. Romance languages kept a Latin shape. English inserted a th on the strength of a false Greek etymology and then could not decide whether to keep it. Irish took it through French and added a diminutive. The result is a name with more national forms than almost any other, all recognizable, none identical, and all descending from a Greek word that nobody has been able to explain. A name can be that widely used and that thoroughly opaque at the same time, which is a useful thing to know about etymology generally.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name's origin has never been established. The Greek form appears without explanation and the readings offered in reference works are later attempts, the most popular of which was constructed to justify a spelling that had itself been altered to fit the meaning. None of the many national forms of the name resolves the question; they differ in shape and share the same blank.
How the name formed
- A Greek name of unknown origin
- Slavic forms dropping the h and adjusting the vowels
- Katrina and Katerina in eastern Europe
- Katrena, with an American vowel substituted
Related forms: Katerina · Katerina · Katarina
Pronouncing Katrena
kuh-TREE-nuh
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. The e in the middle syllable and the i of the commoner spelling both write a long e sound here, so the two spellings are identical in speech.
Nicknames for Katrena
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1929
- Most girls named
- 197272 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1380reached in 1972
- Change vs 2009
- +20.0%6 in 2014, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Katrena in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Katerina in Russian — related form
- Katerina in Czech — related form
- Katarina in Swedish — related form
Katrenas among us
people named Katrena are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Katrena sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The sound is entirely familiar and needs no coaching.
- Kat and Rena are two very different short forms and both are current.
- It carries one of the most widely used names in Europe without being the standard form of it.
- Katrina is the commoner spelling and this one will be converted into it.
- The name shares its sound with a very well-known hurricane.
- There is no meaning to give, which surprises people about a name this old.
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Katrena
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Katrenas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,300 people named Katrena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Katrena in 2025?
- Katrena is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Katrena with classmates?
- Katrena will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Karen#1279 · Kimberly#302 · Kathleen#1150 · Katherine#186 · Kelly#851 · Kathryn#729 · Kayla#364 · Kathy#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Katrena? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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