Where does the name Kathy come from?

Kathy is a girl name of Ancient Greek origin.

Is Kathy a boy or a girl name?

Kathy is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 334,019 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Kathy in 2023?

Kathy ranks #2834 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1958 with 23,938 babies.

How do you pronounce Kathy?

Kathy is pronounced KATH-ee (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Kathy?

Kathy is also written as Kathie, Cathy, Cathie.

A name from Ancient Greek · Girl

Kathy

A short form of Katherine, from Greek Aikaterinē — traditionally linked to katharos meaning 'pure'. Definitively a mid-20th-century American spelling.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 113-year arc in numbers.

334,019 U.S. births recorded from 1910–2023.

Popularity · 1910–2023

60 births in 2023

1910 1966 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

KA short form of Katherine, from Greek Aikaterinē — traditionally linked to katharos meaning 'pure'. Definitively a mid-20th-century American spelling.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Kathy".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Kathie Most common Cathy Cathie

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Kathy.

K
Kathy Bates (Oscar-winning actress)
K
Kathy Griffin (comedian)

Quick answers

People often ask about Kathy.

What does the name Kathy mean?: Kathy means a short form of Katherine, from Greek Aikaterinē — traditionally linked to katharos meaning 'pure'. Definitively a mid-20th-century American spelling.
Where does the name Kathy come from?: Kathy is a girl name of Ancient Greek origin.
Is Kathy a boy or a girl name?: Kathy is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 334,019 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Kathy in 2023?: Kathy ranks #2834 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1958 with 23,938 babies.
How do you pronounce Kathy?: Kathy is pronounced KATH-ee (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Kathy?: Kathy is also written as Kathie, Cathy, Cathie.

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From Greek Ἑλένη (Helenē), traditionally linked to ἑλένη meaning 'torch' or 'the shining one' — the deeper root remains uncertain

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From Greek Kynthia, an epithet of the goddess Artemis — meaning 'she of Mount Kynthos', the mountain on Delos where Artemis was said to have been born

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Doris

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

Kathryn

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Modern spelling variant of Katherine, from Greek Aikaterinē — traditionally connected to katharos meaning 'pure'

Eugene

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From Greek Eugenios — eu ('well, good') + genos ('born'); 'well-born' or 'noble'

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From the gemstone, ultimately from Greek krystallos meaning 'ice' or 'clear ice' — applied to rock crystal because it was thought to be permanently frozen water

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.