Kathy
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- KATH-ee
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,990 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #3,249 for girls
Kathy is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “pure”. In 2025 it ranked 5,990th for girls in the UK (3 babies) and 3,249th for girls in the US (48 babies).
What does Kathy mean?
Greek: pet form of Katherine
“pure”
Pet form of Katherine, a name long linked with Greek katharos 'pure', though its true root is uncertain.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Kathy a girl's or a boy's name?
Kathy is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 girls in the UK and 48 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kathy in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,990among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 3about 1 in 93,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 3 girls in the UK were named Kathy, making it the 5,990th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,734th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 17 girls.
2025 had more girls named Kathy than any year since 2020.
Half of all the girls named Kathy in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2010. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 5,925th in England and Wales.
Kathy in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,990 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 3 | #5,734 |
| 2019 | 3 | #5,804 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 6 | #3,788 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,888 |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,953 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 3 | #6,007 |
| 2010 | 6 | #3,715 |
| 2009 | 5 | #4,141 |
| 2008 | 10 | #2,454 |
| 2007 | 7 | #3,060 |
| 2006 | 1 | #6,685 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 4 | #3,916 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 7 | #2,436 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 8 | #2,097 |
| 1999 | 10 | #1,770 |
| 1998 | 6 | #2,535 |
| 1997 | 17 | #1,227 |
| 1996 | 10 | #1,741 |
How popular is Kathy in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,249among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 48about 1 in 33,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 31% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 48 girls in the US were named Kathy, making it the 3,249th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,170th. Its busiest year was 1958, with 23,938 girls. It first appears in the records in 1910.
2025 had fewer girls named Kathy than any year since 1933.
Half of all the girls named Kathy 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 Kathy or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #2,325, up from #3,249 for this spelling alone.
- Kathy 48
- Cathy 12
Kathy in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 48 | #3,249 |
| 2024 | 64 | #2,694 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2,823 |
| 2022 | 75 | #2,425 |
| 2021 | 72 | #2,460 |
| 2020 | 83 | #2,170 |
| 2019 | 76 | #2,355 |
| 2018 | 91 | #2,098 |
| 2017 | 111 | #1,842 |
| 2016 | 159 | #1,446 |
| 2015 | 126 | #1,685 |
| 2014 | 142 | #1,534 |
| 2013 | 139 | #1,557 |
| 2012 | 176 | #1,334 |
| 2011 | 171 | #1,348 |
| 2010 | 190 | #1,260 |
| 2009 | 204 | #1,218 |
| 2008 | 268 | #991 |
| 2007 | 294 | #921 |
| 2006 | 294 | #903 |
| 2005 | 286 | #883 |
| 2004 | 283 | #869 |
| 2003 | 308 | #803 |
| 2002 | 362 | #693 |
| 2001 | 343 | #715 |
| 2000 | 379 | #652 |
| 1999 | 361 | #647 |
| 1998 | 386 | #618 |
| 1997 | 389 | #590 |
| 1996 | 445 | #530 |
| 1995 | 409 | #564 |
| 1994 | 455 | #539 |
| 1993 | 444 | #539 |
| 1992 | 474 | #507 |
| 1991 | 472 | #503 |
| 1990 | 477 | #503 |
| 1989 | 469 | #502 |
| 1988 | 522 | #435 |
| 1987 | 517 | #433 |
| 1986 | 572 | #397 |
| 1985 | 617 | #370 |
| 1984 | 670 | #343 |
| 1983 | 765 | #303 |
| 1982 | 879 | #277 |
| 1981 | 956 | #258 |
| 1980 | 1,010 | #255 |
| 1979 | 1,112 | #234 |
| 1978 | 1,134 | #221 |
| 1977 | 1,406 | #190 |
| 1976 | 1,382 | #186 |
| 1975 | 1,689 | #160 |
| 1974 | 1,920 | #146 |
| 1973 | 2,371 | #124 |
| 1972 | 3,032 | #108 |
| 1971 | 3,863 | #91 |
| 1970 | 4,797 | #77 |
| 1969 | 4,751 | #77 |
| 1968 | 4,677 | #76 |
| 1967 | 5,406 | #64 |
| 1966 | 6,319 | #59 |
| 1965 | 7,762 | #54 |
| 1964 | 10,377 | #39 |
| 1963 | 12,215 | #34 |
| 1962 | 14,757 | #27 |
| 1961 | 16,385 | #25 |
| 1960 | 18,478 | #21 |
| 1959 | 21,814 | #15 |
| 1958 | 23,938 | #14 |
| 1957 | 20,237 | #20 |
| 1956 | 17,177 | #20 |
| 1955 | 15,324 | #22 |
| 1954 | 14,175 | #23 |
| 1953 | 13,400 | #23 |
| 1952 | 12,369 | #29 |
| 1951 | 10,406 | #35 |
| 1950 | 9,090 | #38 |
| 1949 | 8,451 | #42 |
| 1948 | 6,148 | #55 |
| 1947 | 5,697 | #64 |
| 1946 | 4,179 | #79 |
| 1945 | 2,753 | #101 |
| 1944 | 2,417 | #110 |
| 1943 | 2,033 | #136 |
| 1942 | 1,537 | #159 |
| 1941 | 947 | #199 |
| 1940 | 604 | #256 |
| 1939 | 365 | #328 |
| 1938 | 246 | #426 |
| 1937 | 157 | #526 |
| 1936 | 136 | #562 |
| 1935 | 99 | #664 |
| 1934 | 79 | #751 |
| 1933 | 45 | #1,038 |
| 1932 | 58 | #923 |
| 1931 | 40 | #1,127 |
| 1930 | 29 | #1,434 |
| 1929 | 35 | #1,256 |
| 1928 | 18 | #2,022 |
| 1927 | 35 | #1,361 |
| 1926 | 34 | #1,356 |
| 1925 | 9 | #3,361 |
| 1924 | 13 | #2,660 |
| 1923 | 12 | #2,732 |
| 1922 | 17 | #2,186 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,378 |
| 1920 | 10 | #3,097 |
| 1919 | 11 | #2,812 |
| 1918 | 8 | #3,511 |
| 1917 | 8 | #3,342 |
| 1916 | 8 | #3,256 |
| 1915 | 10 | #2,687 |
| 1914 | 7 | #2,875 |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 0 | – |
| 1911 | 0 | – |
| 1910 | 5 | #2,398 |
Nicknames for Kathy
- Kat
Names like Kathy
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Holly Penny Molly Robyn Betsy Amy Nancy Kitty Erin Heidi Cindy Emily
Other spellings of Kathy
Names related to Kathy
More Greek names
Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kathy: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kathy, updated 20 October 2026.