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a female given name.
(Marfa Skavronskaya) 1684?–1727, Lithuanian wife of Peter the Great: empress of Russia 1725–27.
(Sophia Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst”Catherine the Great”) 1729–96, empress of Russia 1762–96.
Kate (Catherine) 1846–1901, English painter and author and illustrator of children’s books.
Contemporary Examples

“I told them we weren’t used to living with black people—Catherine is from the South,” Brown said.
My Celebrity College Roommate Kathleen Kingsbury, Jaimie Etkin August 29, 2009

On June 22, he was arrested in Santa Monica, California, with his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig.
Bulger’s FBI Ties Enrage Cops Rikki Klieman October 20, 2011

After Catherine makes an appointment with a divorce lawyer, Caleb turns to his father for advice.
The Red Hot Christian Blockbuster Daniel Radosh October 20, 2008

Invitations for the April 29 royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton have been sent.
Royal Wedding Plans So Far for Prince William Barbie Latza Nadeau, Jacqueline Williams February 21, 2011

Quartet Envoy Tony Blair and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will participate via video link.
Thank You Iron Dome Orly Halpern March 10, 2012

Historical Examples

By the summer of 1542 the tragedy of Catherine Howard was over.
Holbein Beatrice Fortescue

There was the example of Catherine’s dealing with Poland by which to proceed.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte William Milligan Sloane

Mr. Austen, Rector of Whitby, was present when Catherine told this.
The Story of My Life, volumes 4-6 Augustus J. C. Hare

But it was Catherine who had his mind; Catherine who was his friend.
Robert Elsmere Mrs. Humphry Ward

Being my birthday, the nuns of St. Catherine’s sent me flowers of silkwork.
The Diary of John Evelyn (Vol 1 of 2) John Evelyn

noun
Saint. died 307 ad, legendary Christian martyr of Alexandria, who was tortured on a spiked wheel and beheaded
noun
?1684–1727, second wife of Peter the Great, whom she succeeded as empress of Russia (1725–27)
noun
known as Catherine the Great. 1729–96, empress of Russia (1762–96), during whose reign Russia extended her boundaries at the expense of Turkey, Sweden, and Poland: she was a patron of literature and the arts
noun
Kate. 1846–1901, English painter, noted as an illustrator of children’s books
Peter. born 1942, British film director; noted for such cerebral films as The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982), Prospero’s Books (1990), and Eight and a Half Women (1999)

fem. proper name, from French Catherine, from Medieval Latin Katerina, from Latin Ecaterina, from Greek Aikaterine. The -h- was introduced 16c., probably a folk etymology from Greek katheros “pure.” The initial Greek vowel is preserved in Russian form Ekaterina.

As the name of a type of pear, attested from 1640s. Catherine wheel (early 13c.) is named for St. Catherine of Alexandria, legendary virgin martyr from the time of Maximinus who was tortured on a spiked wheel. Her name day is Nov. 25. A popular saint in the Middle Ages, which accounts for the popularity of the given name.