Katy
Katy was the 2709th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 64 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 351st with 674 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,162 places. More babies were named Katy in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Katie) pet form of Katherine (origin uncertain) · Greek, English
- Rank in 2025
- #2,709 girls, down 501 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 64girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1987674 babies
- Total since 1880
- 20,957babies recorded
What does the name Katy mean?
Katy is a spelling of Katie, pronounced the same way, so it shares Katie's meaning and origin.
Katie is a pet form of Katherine and its other spellings. DMNES traces Katherine to Greek Aikaterine, whose origin is uncertain; it was later linked with Greek katharos, pure, which DMNES says is unrelated and which explains the th spelling. Wiktionary also mentions the goddess Hecate or a word meaning "each of the two" as possible sources. The 4th-century martyr Catherine of Alexandria, DMNES notes, became an extremely popular saint in the Middle Ages.
Αἰκατερίνη (Ancient Greek, “Katherine (origin uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES calls Katherine of uncertain origin; Wiktionary lists several proposals (Hecate, 'each of the two').
Other explanations you may read: Means 'pure' (Greek katharos). DMNES says the names are unrelated; the association came later and shaped the spelling..
Related names: Katherine, Catherine, Kate, Katy, Kathryn, Caitlin.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Katie' (English section), 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)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Catherine' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Katy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 1980.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,709 | 64 |
| 2020 | #2,208 | 82 |
| 2010 | #1,290 | 185 |
| 2000 | #964 | 220 |
| 1990 | #511 | 470 |
| 1980 | #429 | 503 |
| 1970 | #831 | 165 |
| 1960 | #752 | 185 |
| 1950 | #1,057 | 76 |
| 1940 | #788 | 81 |
| 1930 | #1,148 | 42 |
| 1920 | #974 | 57 |
| 1910 | #1,146 | 16 |
| 1900 | #929 | 17 |
| 1890 | #775 | 13 |
| 1880 | #708 | 7 |
How popular is Katy, counting every spelling?
Katy is a spelling of Katie, a name family that ranked #559 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,709 for Katy on its own. Together these spellings went to 537 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katie | 447 | #646 | 2,687 |
| Katy | 64 | #2,709 | 398 |
| Katty | 5 | #16,087 | 67 |
| Catie | 6 | #13,537 | 37 |
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 Katy?
64 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Katy (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Katy 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 131 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Katy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Katy?
About 18,200 people born in the US named Katy are alive today, with a median age of 39; half are between 28 and 47. That makes Katy mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Katy by state
How common Katy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Pennsylvania (1.9×), Texas (1.9×). 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 Katy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Katy, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Katy
What does Katy mean?
Katy is a spelling of Katie, usually explained as “pet form of Katherine (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Katy?
Katy was the 2709th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 64 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 351st with 674 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,162 places. More babies were named Katy in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Katy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Katy in the US.
Where is Katy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Katy was most common in Pennsylvania (0.09 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and California.