Now that's interesting...

A post by jrittenhouse led me to Behind the Name, a first name eitmology site (along with a really entertaining random name generator). I checked my name and found


KATHRYN
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KATH-rin
Contracted form of KATHERINE

so clicked on Katherine and got:

KATHERINE
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KATH-u-rin, KATH-rin
From the Greek name Αικατερινη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from the earlier Greek name ‘Εκατερινη (Hekaterine), which came from ‘εκατερος (Hekateros) "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess HECATE; it could be related to Greek αικια (aikia) "torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". The Romans associated it with Greek καθαρος (katharos) "pure" and changed their spelling from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this. The name belonged to a 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on the famous Catherine wheel. Another saint by this name was Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic. This name was also borne by two empresses of Russia, including Catherine the Great, and by three of Henry VIII's wives.

I've looked up my name before and gotten as far back as "pure", but this is the first time I've seen the rest of that stuff. Hecate? Torture? Plergb....

I'm up too late. :)