Catcher

The given name 'Catcher' derives from the English occupational surname for someone who catches animals or fish, rooted in the Middle English word *cacche* (to capture).

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Etymology

The given name 'Catcher' derives from the English occupational surname for someone who catches animals or fish, rooted in the Middle English word *cacche* (to capture). It is not traditionally used as a given name in any specific culture or religion, but gained rare modern usage in the United States, notably influenced by the protagonist Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger's *The Catcher in the Rye* (1951), who imagines himself as a "catcher in the rye" protecting children.

Catcher currently ranks #8,989 in the United States as a boy's name. It reached its peak popularity around 2005.