girl's name
Cathy
KATH-ee (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 199,571
Cathy is a girl's name, a pet form of Catherine whose meaning has never been established. It fell from 10,961 births in 1958 to 12 — a factor of 913, the second-steepest decline on record after Debra.
- Cathy is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1958, when 10,961 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 276,319 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1918.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Cathy Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 13 |
| 1920s | 118 |
| 1930s | 578 |
| 1940s | 15,594 |
| 1950s | 82,859 |
| 1960s | 51,753 |
| 1970s | 12,973 |
| 1980s | 3,662 |
| 1990s | 1,565 |
| 2000s | 916 |
| 2010s | 484 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 131 |
What Cathy Means
Cathy has no securely known meaning, because Catherine does not. The reading pure was attached centuries after the name existed, by association with a Greek word it does not derive from.
Where Cathy Comes From
Cathy is clipped from Catherine, which descends from the Greek Aikaterine — a name whose origin is lost. Early Christian writers linked it to katharos, pure, and the spelling shifted toward Katharina to match, so the meaning universally quoted is a folk etymology that succeeded well enough to change how the name is written. Cathy belongs with Kathy, Debbie, Peggy and Judy to the mid-century American habit of registering pet forms as full names, and it shares their curve exactly: a fast rise on sound rather than tradition, and a fall steeper than almost anything else on record.
Cathy in Use
Cathy peaked in the United States in 1958, when 10,961 babies were registered, and now charts in exactly two markets, at 8,845th in the United States on 12 births. That is a fall by a factor of roughly 913, the second-steepest on record after Debra's 1,633. Its parent name Catherine, written up separately, charts in two markets and holds more than five times the volume — the pet form took the whole collapse.
How Popular Is Cathy?
In 2025, Cathy was given to 12 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Cathy Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Cathy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Cathy Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cathy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Cathy
- English KATH-ee /ˈkæθ.i/
Cathy in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Cathy
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Cathy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Cathy
What does the name Cathy mean?
Not securely known. It shortens Catherine, whose Greek original has no established derivation.
Why did Cathy decline so sharply?
It fell from 10,961 births in 1958 to 12 — the second-steepest decline on record, after Debra.
Is it Cathy or Kathy?
Both were used heavily in the same period and both collapsed. Cathy fell slightly harder.
How popular is Cathy?
8,845th in the United States on 12 births.
Is Cathy a girl's or a boy's name?
Cathy is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cathy?
Cathy has 2 syllables.
Is Cathy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cathy currently ranks #3,349 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.