Cathy vs Catherine

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

Name A

Cathy

Girl name · Rank #5973

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Name B

Catherine

Girl name · Rank #320

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Which name is more popular?

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

Births by Decade

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

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

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

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, 1918–2024.

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