Catriona: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Catriona is an Irish girl's name meaning “pure.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Pure
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Catherine
How do you pronounce Catriona?
Catriona is pronounced ka-TREE-na. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second. Other spellings: Caitriona.
What does Catriona mean?
Catriona is a spelling of the Irish Caitríona and the Scottish Gaelic Catrìona, the Gaelic forms of Catherine. Catherine goes back to the Greek Aikaterine, whose origin is uncertain; early Christians spelled it Katharina to link it with the Greek katharos, “pure,” which is where the usual meaning comes from.
The name reached Western Europe with the cult of St. Catherine of Alexandria, an early martyr, brought back by crusaders, but Patrick Woulfe’s Irish Names and Surnames (1923) credits its popularity mainly to St. Catherine of Siena. Tríona is an Irish pet form, and Caitlín is a related Irish form. Robert Louis Stevenson called his 1893 sequel to Kidnapped “Catriona,” and the Irish actress Caitríona Balfe carries the Irish spelling.
Sources: Behind the Name, Wikipedia, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923).
How popular is Catriona in Ireland?
Catriona wasn't in the 2025 tables, which list names given to at least three babies. It was last recorded in 2024, when 3 baby girls got the name. It was most popular in 1979, when 158 baby girls were named Catriona, No. 58 that year. The records go back to 1964, when 21 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | No. 898 |
| 2018 | 5 | No. 629 |
| 2011 | 6 | No. 612 |
| 2010 | 4 | No. 758 |
| 2009 | 7 | No. 539 |
| 2008 | 8 | No. 501 |
| 2007 | 7 | No. 505 |
| 2006 | 8 | No. 431 |
| 2005 | 5 | No. 523 |
| 2004 | 11 | No. 304 |
| 2003 | 15 | No. 233 |
| 2002 | 10 | No. 312 |
| 2001 | 10 | No. 302 |
| 2000 | 19 | No. 188 |
| 1999 | 15 | No. 220 |
| 1998 | 28 | No. 134 |
| 1997 | 28 | No. 164 |
| 1996 | 37 | No. 137 |
| 1995 | 43 | No. 119 |
| 1994 | 33 | No. 145 |
| 1993 | 47 | No. 120 |
| 1992 | 44 | No. 125 |
| 1991 | 54 | No. 111 |
| 1990 | 44 | No. 122 |
| 1989 | 64 | No. 108 |
| 1988 | 74 | No. 91 |
| 1987 | 85 | No. 87 |
| 1986 | 88 | No. 82 |
| 1985 | 103 | No. 76 |
| 1984 | 105 | No. 75 |
| 1983 | 123 | No. 69 |
| 1982 | 119 | No. 76 |
| 1981 | 123 | No. 70 |
| 1980 | 124 | No. 72 |
| 1979 | 158 | No. 58 |
| 1978 | 78 | No. 106 |
| 1977 | 109 | No. 77 |
| 1976 | 99 | No. 89 |
| 1975 | 95 | No. 89 |
| 1974 | 99 | No. 85 |
| 1973 | 98 | No. 86 |
| 1972 | 65 | No. 120 |
| 1971 | 46 | No. 144 |
| 1970 | 49 | No. 128 |
| 1969 | 44 | No. 136 |
| 1968 | 43 | No. 127 |
| 1967 | 30 | No. 153 |
| 1966 | 36 | No. 137 |
| 1965 | 20 | No. 175 |
| 1964 | 21 | No. 167 |
Catriona in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Catriona, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- AAilm, pine
- TTinne, holly
- RRuis, elder
- IIodhadh, yew
- OOnn, gorse
- NNion, ash
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Catriona
Questions about Catriona
- How do you pronounce Catriona?
- Catriona is pronounced ka-TREE-na. Three syllables, stress on the second.
- What does Catriona mean?
- Catriona means “pure.”
- Is Catriona a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Catriona is a girl's name.
- What is Catriona in English?
- The English form of Catriona is Catherine.