Cathy

Cathy: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “pure”
Origin: English
Say it: KATH-ee · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Cathy is a diminutive of Catherine/Kathryn and related forms. The name ultimately derives from Greek Aikaterine, traditionally associated with katharos 'pure'.

English names Names meaning pure Short names Classic names

How popular is Cathy?

20246.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Cathy in 202420

Peak year1958

Total US babies since 1880170,634

Cathy is fading: recent use is about 51% of its level ten years before.

Names like Cathy

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Catherinepure · Greek
Caitlynpure · Irish
Cathiepure · Greek
Katlinpure · Irish
Oliviaolive tree · English
Evelyndesired; little bird · English
Harperharp player · English
Violetviolet flower · English

Cathy questions

What does the name Cathy mean?

Cathy means "pure". It comes from English. Cathy is a diminutive of Catherine/Kathryn and related forms. The name ultimately derives from Greek Aikaterine, traditionally associated with katharos 'pure'.

Is Cathy a boy or girl name?

Cathy is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Cathy?

20 US babies were named Cathy in 2024. Its peak year was 1958.

How do you pronounce Cathy?

Cathy is usually pronounced KATH-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.