Where does the name Cathy come from?

Cathy is a girl name of Ancient Greek origin.

Is Cathy a boy or a girl name?

Cathy is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 170,271 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Cathy in 2023?

Cathy ranks #5156 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1958 with 10,942 babies.

How do you pronounce Cathy?

Cathy is pronounced KATH-ee (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Cathy?

Cathy is also written as Kathy, Cathie, Catharine.

A name from Ancient Greek · Girl

Cathy

A short form of Catherine or Cathleen, from Greek Aikaterinē — traditionally linked to katharos meaning 'pure'. Independent since the 19th century.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 105-year arc in numbers.

170,271 U.S. births recorded from 1918–2023.

Popularity · 1918–2023

25 births in 2023

1918 1970 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

CA short form of Catherine or Cathleen, from Greek Aikaterinē — traditionally linked to katharos meaning 'pure'. Independent since the 19th century.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Cathy".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Kathy Most common Cathie Catharine

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Cathy.

C
Cathy Bates (actress)
C
Cathy Guisewite (Cathy comic strip creator)
C
Cathy Freeman (Olympian)

Quick answers

People often ask about Cathy.

What does the name Cathy mean?: Cathy means a short form of Catherine or Cathleen, from Greek Aikaterinē — traditionally linked to katharos meaning 'pure'. Independent since the 19th century.
Where does the name Cathy come from?: Cathy is a girl name of Ancient Greek origin.
Is Cathy a boy or a girl name?: Cathy is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 170,271 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Cathy in 2023?: Cathy ranks #5156 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1958 with 10,942 babies.
How do you pronounce Cathy?: Cathy is pronounced KATH-ee (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Cathy?: Cathy is also written as Kathy, Cathie, Catharine.

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From Greek Dōris, a Nereid (sea-nymph) — daughter of Oceanus and mother of the fifty Nereids by Nereus

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.