Cathy
Girl · KATH-ee · Greek
Cathy is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “pure”. In 2025 it ranked 8,360th for girls in the US (12 babies).
What does Cathy mean?
Greek: spelling of Kathy; pet form of Katherine
“pure”
Pet form of Katherine, a name long linked with Greek katharos 'pure', though its true root is uncertain.
- Say it
- KATH-ee
Meaning borrowed from Kathy. More on Wiktionary.
Is Cathy a girl's or a boy's name?
Cathy is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 12 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Cathy in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1996, with 9 girls.
Half of all the girls named Cathy in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2006. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Cathy in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | #7,491 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 1 | #7,682 |
| 2016 | 3 | #6,009 |
| 2015 | 1 | #7,629 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 1 | #7,881 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 2 | #7,447 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 8 | #2,895 |
| 2007 | 3 | #5,415 |
| 2006 | 3 | #5,259 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 7 | #2,669 |
| 2003 | 4 | #3,768 |
| 2002 | 4 | #3,556 |
| 2001 | 4 | #3,427 |
| 2000 | 9 | #1,942 |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,912 |
| 1998 | 7 | #2,304 |
| 1997 | 8 | #2,073 |
| 1996 | 9 | #1,862 |
How popular is Cathy in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #8,360among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 12about 1 in 130,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 46% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 12 girls in the US were named Cathy, making it the 8,360th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,261st. Its busiest year was 1958, with 10,942 girls. It first appears in the records in 1918.
2025 had fewer girls named Cathy than any year since 1925.
Half of all the girls named Cathy in the US since 1880 were born between 1954 and 1963, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 60 girls in the US were given Cathy or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #2,325, up from #8,360 for this spelling alone.
- Kathy 48
- Cathy 12
Cathy in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #8,360 |
| 2024 | 20 | #5,959 |
| 2023 | 25 | #5,123 |
| 2022 | 20 | #5,981 |
| 2021 | 22 | #5,569 |
| 2020 | 32 | #4,261 |
| 2019 | 30 | #4,545 |
| 2018 | 44 | #3,496 |
| 2017 | 31 | #4,475 |
| 2016 | 53 | #3,100 |
| 2015 | 64 | #2,736 |
| 2014 | 48 | #3,324 |
| 2013 | 59 | #2,869 |
| 2012 | 56 | #3,005 |
| 2011 | 47 | #3,406 |
| 2010 | 52 | #3,158 |
| 2009 | 56 | #3,046 |
| 2008 | 61 | #2,886 |
| 2007 | 79 | #2,394 |
| 2006 | 88 | #2,186 |
| 2005 | 93 | #2,013 |
| 2004 | 104 | #1,819 |
| 2003 | 103 | #1,812 |
| 2002 | 93 | #1,895 |
| 2001 | 120 | #1,539 |
| 2000 | 119 | #1,522 |
| 1999 | 116 | #1,480 |
| 1998 | 124 | #1,380 |
| 1997 | 133 | #1,301 |
| 1996 | 129 | #1,316 |
| 1995 | 141 | #1,211 |
| 1994 | 164 | #1,093 |
| 1993 | 153 | #1,155 |
| 1992 | 186 | #1,008 |
| 1991 | 210 | #913 |
| 1990 | 209 | #914 |
| 1989 | 224 | #836 |
| 1988 | 227 | #807 |
| 1987 | 246 | #733 |
| 1986 | 273 | #670 |
| 1985 | 362 | #548 |
| 1984 | 372 | #521 |
| 1983 | 371 | #514 |
| 1982 | 486 | #443 |
| 1981 | 534 | #412 |
| 1980 | 567 | #401 |
| 1979 | 588 | #380 |
| 1978 | 639 | #340 |
| 1977 | 743 | #319 |
| 1976 | 809 | #283 |
| 1975 | 970 | #252 |
| 1974 | 1,167 | #222 |
| 1973 | 1,435 | #185 |
| 1972 | 1,736 | #169 |
| 1971 | 2,270 | #141 |
| 1970 | 2,586 | #137 |
| 1969 | 2,520 | #133 |
| 1968 | 2,400 | #134 |
| 1967 | 2,825 | #118 |
| 1966 | 3,421 | #99 |
| 1965 | 4,151 | #88 |
| 1964 | 5,502 | #75 |
| 1963 | 6,319 | #67 |
| 1962 | 7,145 | #62 |
| 1961 | 8,211 | #55 |
| 1960 | 9,130 | #46 |
| 1959 | 10,408 | #39 |
| 1958 | 10,942 | #34 |
| 1957 | 10,325 | #39 |
| 1956 | 10,132 | #36 |
| 1955 | 8,665 | #44 |
| 1954 | 7,207 | #59 |
| 1953 | 7,301 | #56 |
| 1952 | 7,011 | #56 |
| 1951 | 5,697 | #71 |
| 1950 | 5,031 | #75 |
| 1949 | 4,407 | #81 |
| 1948 | 3,561 | #104 |
| 1947 | 2,859 | #119 |
| 1946 | 1,623 | #167 |
| 1945 | 824 | #230 |
| 1944 | 680 | #264 |
| 1943 | 606 | #282 |
| 1942 | 483 | #314 |
| 1941 | 312 | #389 |
| 1940 | 195 | #495 |
| 1939 | 144 | #558 |
| 1938 | 89 | #724 |
| 1937 | 72 | #810 |
| 1936 | 53 | #941 |
| 1935 | 60 | #892 |
| 1934 | 47 | #1,005 |
| 1933 | 35 | #1,197 |
| 1932 | 29 | #1,382 |
| 1931 | 24 | #1,548 |
| 1930 | 25 | #1,568 |
| 1929 | 14 | #2,300 |
| 1928 | 20 | #1,896 |
| 1927 | 17 | #2,168 |
| 1926 | 17 | #2,164 |
| 1925 | 12 | #2,777 |
| 1924 | 13 | #2,660 |
| 1923 | 8 | #3,640 |
| 1922 | 5 | #5,007 |
| 1921 | 7 | #4,021 |
| 1920 | 5 | #4,973 |
| 1919 | 8 | #3,450 |
| 1918 | 5 | #4,807 |
Nicknames for Cathy
- Kat
Names like Cathy
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Holly Penny Molly Cindy Robyn Connie Amy Betsy Nancy Erin Caitlin Cara
Other spellings of Cathy
More Greek names
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