Catarina
Meaning of Catarina
Catarina is the sun-kissed Latin cousin of classic Catherine, tracing a gleaming line back to the Greek katharos, “pure.” Worn by saints, Renaissance queens (think Catarina de’ Medici), and even a fiery heroine in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, she carries centuries of storytelling in her pocket. Yet on modern U.S. charts she hovers just outside the limelight—floating in the 800s—so a little Catarina will likely be the only one in her kindergarten class. Her music-box pronunciation, kah-tah-REE-nah, feels like a soft guitar riff, and playful nicknames such as Cat, Catie, or Rina let her shift effortlessly from finger-paint masterpieces to boardroom presentations. With a meaning as crisp as freshly fallen snow and a Mediterranean heritage as warm as a seaside sunset, Catarina offers parents a name that is both timeless and delightfully unexpected—a spark of pure charm for any new arrival.
Pronunciation
Portuguese,Spanish,Italian
- Pronunced as kah-tah-REE-nah (/ka.ta.ʁi.na/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Catarina
| Brazilian-born Catarina Macario is a midfielder and forward for San Diego Wave FC and the United States women's national team. |
| Catarina Eufémia was a Portuguese harvester and mother of three who was shot dead by a police lieutenant during a farm workers' strike in Baleizão while holding her baby. |
| Portuguese lawyer and human rights activist Catarina de Albuquerque served as the first UN special rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation before becoming CEO of Sanitation and Water for All. |
| Catarina Resende de Oliveira is a Portuguese neurologist and biochemistry professor at the University of Coimbra who researches the causes of brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. |
| Catarina Furtado is a Portuguese TV presenter, actress and UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador who has hosted The Voice Portugal on RTP1 since 2011. |
| Anna Catarina Lindqvist Ryan is a Swedish former professional tennis player. |
| Catarina Vasconcelos is a Portuguese filmmaker and producer best known for her acclaimed 2020 film The Metamorphosis of Birds. |
| Catarina Wallenstein is a Portuguese actress who has appeared in more than twenty films since 2004. |
| Catarina Rebelo - Catarina de Oliveira Lopes Rebelo is an actress from Portugal. |
| Catarina Costa is a Portuguese judoka. |
| Catarina Leite Oralová is a Portuguese chess player who earned the title of Woman International Master in 2001. |
| Catarina Portas is a Portuguese journalist and businesswoman. |
| Catarina Ribeiro is a Portuguese long distance runner best known for winning bronze at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships in Ostrava. |
| Catarina Ferreira is a former Portuguese tennis player who peaked at world number 456 in singles and 401 in doubles. |
