How popular is the baby name Cabrini in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Cabrini.

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Popularity of the baby name Cabrini


Posts that mention the name Cabrini

What gave the baby name Kateri a boost in 1980?

Catholic saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha

Among the seven new saints canonized by Pope Benedict seven last Sunday was Kateri Tekakwitha, an Algonquin–Mohawk woman who was born 1656 in what is now New York state. She is the first indigenous woman of North America to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

The name Kateri is based on her baptismal name, Catherine (which would have been pronounced the French way, ka-TREEN, as she was baptized by French Canadian Jesuits).

“Kateri” has been popping up in the U.S. baby name data for decades, starting roughly around the time Kateri Tekakwitha was declared venerable, in early 1943.

In 1980, the year Tekakwitha was beatified, usage of the name Kateri more than tripled:

  • 1982: 45 baby girls named Kateri
  • 1982: 37 baby girls named Kateri
  • 1980: 65 baby girls named Kateri
  • 1979: 18 baby girls named Kateri
  • 1978: 19 baby girls named Kateri

Every year since, several dozen U.S. baby girls have been named Kateri. Here are the most recent numbers:

  • 2011: 43 baby girls named Kateri
  • 2010: 29 baby girls named Kateri
  • 2009: 29 baby girls named Kateri
  • 2008: 35 baby girls named Kateri
  • 2007: 48 baby girls named Kateri

Do you think Kateri Tekakwitha’s promotion to sainthood will give her name another upward nudge? If so, how much of a nudge?

P.S. Other baby names inspired by Catholic saints include Jeannedarc and Cabrini.

Update, 2020: The name was given to 60+ babies for three years straight (2012 to 2014), but the 1980 number is still the overall high-point.

Sources:

Image: Kateri Tekakwitha by Fr. Claude Chauchetière

Where did the baby name Cabrini come from in 1947?

Italian-American religious sister Frances Xavier Cabrini
Frances Xavier Cabrini

The Italian surname name Cabrini popped up in the U.S. baby name data for the first time in 1947:

  • 1949: unlisted
  • 1948: 6 baby girls named Cabrini
  • 1947: 6 baby girls named Cabrini [debut]
  • 1946: unlisted
  • 1945: unlisted

Why?

Because, in July of 1946, Italian-American religious sister Frances Xavier Cabrini (a.k.a. Mother Cabrini) was canonized by Pope Pius XII. This made her the first U.S. citizen* to become a Catholic saint.

Cabrini was born (as Maria Francesca Cabrini) in 1850 in Lombardy, which at that time was part of the Austrian Empire. (It’s now in Italy.) She took her religious vows in 1880, moved to the United States in 1889, and became a naturalized citizen in 1909. She died in Chicago in 1917.

She’s remembered especially for her work with Italian immigrants. In fact, she was proclaimed “Patroness of Immigrants” by Pius XII in 1950.

Since 1947, the name Cabrini has appeared in the U.S. baby name data over a dozen times, mainly in the 1950s and 1960s. The most recent inclusion was in 2019, when it was given to 7 baby girls.

I’m not certain about the etymology of Cabrini, but several sources suggest that, like the Spanish surname Cabrera, it’s derived from the Latin word capraria, meaning “pertaining to goats” or “place of goats.” (The Latin word for “goat” is capra.)

What are your thoughts on the baby name Cabrini?

*The first native-born U.S. citizen to be canonized was Elizabeth Ann Seton, in 1975.

Sources: Frances Xavier Cabrini – Wikipedia, SSA