Kathy
Girl name · #3255 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Kathy? In official American birth records, Kathy has been tracked continuously since 1910, giving it 115 years of documented American history.
Kathy is currently the #3255 girl name in the United States — 48 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1685, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 37,500 girls born in 2025 was named Kathy.
Babies named Kathy per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 115-year story
Kathy first appears in the Social Security records in 1910, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1958, when 23,938 girls were named Kathy — good for #14 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kathy against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kathy in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Kathy is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Kathy will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Kathy is most common
State-level data for Kathy is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Nicknames & related forms of Kathy
Kathy belongs to the Katherine family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
KatherineKateKatieKathyKatKittyKaty
Counted as one name, the Katherine family went to about 2,805 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #88, versus #3255 for Kathy alone.
Names like Kathy
Statistically, parents drawn to Kathy tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Vicky, Tammy, Becky, Sandy, and Polly.
VickyTammyBeckySandyPollyCindyKimKay
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kathy | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 48 | #3249 |
| 2024 | 64 | #2694 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2823 |
| 2022 | 75 | #2425 |
| 2021 | 72 | #2460 |
| 2020 | 83 | #2170 |
| 2019 | 76 | #2355 |
| 2018 | 91 | #2098 |
| 2017 | 111 | #1842 |
| 2016 | 159 | #1446 |
| 2015 | 126 | #1685 |
| 2014 | 142 | #1534 |
| 2013 | 139 | #1557 |
| 2012 | 176 | #1334 |
| 2011 | 171 | #1348 |
| 2010 | 190 | #1260 |
| 2009 | 204 | #1218 |
| 2008 | 268 | #991 |
| 2007 | 294 | #921 |
| 2006 | 294 | #903 |
| 2005 | 286 | #883 |
| 2004 | 283 | #869 |
| 2003 | 308 | #803 |
| 2002 | 362 | #693 |
| 2001 | 343 | #715 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Kathy?
In official American birth records, the name Kathy first appeared in 1910 (over 115 years ago), when 5 newborn girls received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 115 years.
Is Kathy a popular girl name?
Kathy ranked #3255 among girls in 2025 with 48 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1685.
When was the name Kathy most popular?
Kathy peaked in 1958, when 23,938 American girls received the name (ranked #14 that year). Since 1958 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Kathy?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 37,500 newborn American girls was named Kathy. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.