Katherine vs Kathy

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

Name A

Katherine

Girl name · Rank #175

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Name B

Kathy

Girl name · Rank #2691

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Katherine Kathy
Current Rank #175 #2691
Total Births (all years) 649,238 334,084
Peak Year 1990 1958
Peak Year Births 11,627 23,940
Peak Decade 1980ss 1950ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1910

Births by Decade

Decade Katherine Kathy
1880ss 6,922 —
1890ss 9,408 —
1900ss 12,105 —
1910ss 36,884 57
1920ss 42,745 198
1930ss 25,193 1,254
1940ss 39,911 34,766
1950ss 66,854 157,930
1960ss 50,618 101,128
1970ss 54,052 22,707
1980ss 99,176 6,977
1990ss 96,885 4,312
2000ss 65,355 3,020
2010ss 34,139 1,381
2020ss 8,991 354

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Katherine Kathy
2014 3,689 142
2015 3,454 126
2016 3,275 159
2017 2,861 111
2018 2,676 91
2019 2,450 76
2020 1,991 83
2021 1,819 72
2022 1,738 75
2023 1,703 60
2024 1,740 64

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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