Cathy
Cathy was the 8463rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 12 babies. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked 34th with 10,942 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 5,714 places. More babies were named Cathy in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kathy) pet form of Katherine or Kathleen · English, Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #8,463 girls, down 4,177 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 12girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 195810,942 babies
- Total since 1880
- 170,646babies recorded
What does the name Cathy mean?
Cathy is a spelling of Kathy, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kathy's meaning and origin.
Kathy is a pet form of Katherine and Kathleen, from Kath with the -y ending, as Wiktionary notes; it is also used as a formal name. Katherine comes from Greek Aikaterinē, of uncertain origin; DMNES notes it is unrelated to katharos 'pure', though the spelling with th was influenced by that word. Kathy was very common in the US in the 1950s.
Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterinē) (Ancient Greek, “Catherine”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Katherine, Kathleen, Cathy, Kate, Katie.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kathy', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', DMNES (Durham University)
Cathy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 343 since 1945.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,463 | 12 |
| 2020 | #4,286 | 32 |
| 2010 | #3,166 | 52 |
| 2000 | #1,527 | 119 |
| 1990 | #916 | 209 |
| 1980 | #402 | 567 |
| 1970 | #137 | 2,586 |
| 1960 | #46 | 9,130 |
| 1950 | #75 | 5,031 |
| 1940 | #496 | 195 |
| 1930 | #1,579 | 25 |
| 1920 | #5,101 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Cathy, counting every spelling?
Cathy is a spelling of Kathy, a name family that had 60 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 60 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathy | 48 | #3,274 | 319 |
| Cathy | 12 | #8,463 | 99 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cathy?
12 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cathy (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cathy born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 705 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cathy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cathy?
About 138,800 people born in the US named Cathy are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 62 and 71. That makes Cathy a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cathy by state
How common Cathy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (2.0×). In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cathy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cathy, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Cathy
What does Cathy mean?
Cathy is a spelling of Kathy, which means “pet form of Katherine or Kathleen” (English, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Cathy?
Cathy was the 8463rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 12 babies. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked 34th with 10,942 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 5,714 places. More babies were named Cathy in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Cathy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Cathy in the US.
Where is Cathy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cathy was most common in California (0.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Texas.