Cattaleya
Cattaleya was the 1479th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 145 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 1375th with 165 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,839 places. More babies were named Cattaleya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Cataleya) Origin not documented
- Rank in 2025
- #1,479 girls, up 1,550 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 145girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024165 babies
- Total since 1880
- 966babies recorded
What does the name Cattaleya mean?
Cattaleya is a spelling of Cataleya, pronounced the same way, so it shares Cataleya's meaning and origin.
Cataleya became known as a name through the action film Colombiana (2011), whose heroine is named after the cattleya orchid, the national flower of Colombia. The orchid genus Cattleya was named after the English plant collector William Cattley. Wiktionary has no entry for the given name, and the name has no older history. Spellings such as Cattaleya and Kataleya are also used.
How sure is this? Not documented. The film-and-orchid link is widely reported but is not documented in a dictionary source; needs confirmation.
Related names: Kataleya, Cattleya.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cattleya', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
Cattaleya popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,479 | 145 |
| 2020 | #3,029 | 53 |
| 2010 | — | — |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Cattaleya, counting every spelling?
Cattaleya is a spelling of Cataleya, a name family that ranked #154 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,479 for Cattaleya on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,221 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cataleya | 1,314 | #238 | 5,714 |
| Kataleya | 674 | #459 | 2,506 |
| Cattaleya | 145 | #1,479 | 537 |
| Kattaleya | 33 | #4,302 | 183 |
| Kataleyah | 33 | #4,301 | 133 |
| Cataleyah | 16 | #6,900 | 82 |
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 Cattaleya?
145 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cattaleya (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cattaleya 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 58 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cattaleya.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cattaleya?
About 1,000 people born in the US named Cattaleya are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 2 and 9. That makes Cattaleya a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Cattaleya by state
How common Cattaleya was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (2.4×), Florida (1.9×), California (1.8×). In 42 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 Cattaleya: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cattaleya, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Cattaleya
How popular is the name Cattaleya?
Cattaleya was the 1479th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 145 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 1375th with 165 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,839 places. More babies were named Cattaleya in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Cattaleya a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Cattaleya in the US.
Where is Cattaleya most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cattaleya was most common in Texas (0.15 per 1,000 girls), followed by Florida and California.