<Tr> <Th> Related names </Th> <Td> Katheryn, Kathryne, Kathryn, Katharyn, Katherin, Catharine, Cathryn, Katheryne, Catherine, Katharine, Katharina, Ketherane, Katerine, Katrine, Katrina, Katrin, Karina, Kathrin, Katarina, Katerina, Ekaterina, Yekaterina, Aikaterine </Td> </Tr> <P> Katherine, Catherine, and other variations are feminine names . They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria . </P> <P> The name originated from the Greek Αἰκατερίνα or Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterina, Aikaterinē), which is of uncertain etymology . The earliest known use of the Greek name is in reference to Saint Catherine of Alexandria . The theory that the name comes from Hecate, the name of the Greek goddess of magic, is regarded by the editors of the Oxford Dictionary of First Names as unconvincing . </P> <P> In the early Christian era it came to be associated with the Greek adjective καθαρός (katharos), meaning "pure", leading to the alternative spellings Katharine and Katherine . The former spelling, with a middle a, was more common in the past and is currently more popular in the United States than in Britain . Katherine, with a middle e, was first recorded in England in 1196 after being brought back from the Crusades . </P>

What does the name katherine mean in greek
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