Catherine vs Cathy

Side-by-side comparison of Catherine and Cathy — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Catherine

Girl name · Rank #320

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Name B

Cathy

Girl name · Rank #5973

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Catherine Cathy
Current Rank #320 #5973
Total Births (all years) 666,802 170,291
Peak Year 1956 1958
Peak Year Births 12,057 10,942
Peak Decade 1950ss 1950ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1918

Births by Decade

Decade Catherine Cathy
1880ss 8,915 —
1890ss 14,502 —
1900ss 22,007 —
1910ss 65,823 13
1920ss 78,881 118
1930ss 50,026 578
1940ss 62,086 15,550
1950ss 108,837 82,718
1960ss 76,787 51,625
1970ss 43,864 12,943
1980ss 42,435 3,662
1990ss 40,759 1,565
2000ss 29,701 916
2010ss 17,151 484
2020ss 5,028 119

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Catherine Cathy
2014 1,944 48
2015 1,807 64
2016 1,668 53
2017 1,584 31
2018 1,506 44
2019 1,312 30
2020 1,155 32
2021 1,004 22
2022 981 20
2023 933 25
2024 955 20

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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