Total births
170,303
Girls' name · since 1918
Cathy
Cathy has 170,303 recorded births since 1918 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1958 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5993
- among girls today
- 170,303
- born since 1918
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 66%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Cathy is the #5993 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 170,303 recorded since 1918.
Cathy has 170,303 recorded births among girls since 1918, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5993 as of the latest data, more common than 66% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 2025.
- #5993 among girls today
- 170,303 born since 1918
- 1950s peak decade
- 66% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cathy is currently the #5993 girls' name in America, more common than 66% of girls - 170,303 born since 1918, peaking in the 1950s.
- #5993
- among girls today
- 170,303
- born since 1918
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 66%
- more common than other girls
Cathy vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5993
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 66% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
49% of everyone ever named Cathy was born in this single decade.
1958
Single peak year
10,942 babies were named Cathy in 1958 - its busiest year on record.
How Cathy compares
170,303 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cathy's all-time total is 446x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cathy | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 170,303 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 10,942 | 48 | 19,840 |
Cathy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cathy's full recorded timeline at 1972, 9% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 91% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1918, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1958 peak of 10,942 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cathy at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1958
Current rank
#5,993
Active since
1918
Cathy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–2025
- Peak year (1958)
- 10,942
- Annual births at peak, across 108 years of records
Cathy popularity over time - boys
343 total births recorded since 1945 (Cathy as boys' name)
Cathy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Cathy's strongest decade.
82,719 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 49% of all-time use.
Cathy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 13
1910s
13 births
- 1920s 118
1920s
118 births
- 1930s 578
1930s
578 births
- 1940s 15,550
1940s
15,550 births
- 1950s
1950s
82,719 births
- 1960s
1960s
51,624 births
- 1970s 12,943
1970s
12,943 births
- 1980s 3,662
1980s
3,662 births
- 1990s 1,565
1990s
1,565 births
- 2000s 916
2000s
916 births
- 2010s 484
2010s
484 births
- 2020s 131
2020s
131 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 82,719 births (49% of all-time use).
How Cathy compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Cathy's total volume
Cathy vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Cathy by state
Where Cathy concentrates geographically, total births since 1918
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 14,552 | 8.5% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 11,203 | 6.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 10,715 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 9,931 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Texas | | 9,539 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 9,487 | 5.6% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 7,640 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 6,759 | 4.0% |
California share of Cathy's total US births 8.5%
Even split
14,552 of 170,303 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Cathy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cathy? ▼
Since 1918, Social Security records show 170,303 babies named Cathy. Today it holds rank #5993 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1958, with 10,942 births.
When was Cathy most popular? ▼
Cathy was most popular in the 1950s decade with 82,719 total births. The single peak year was 1958.
Where is Cathy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cathy are California (14,552 births), Ohio (11,203 births), New York (10,715 births).
How long has the name Cathy been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Cathy since 1918 -- 108 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Cathy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Catherine, Catalina, Cathleen, Cathryn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Cathy's data
- Cathy's decade-level peak was the 1950s (82,719 total births); usage has since declined to 131 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Cathys (14,552 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cathy
Nearby Names Like Cathy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cathy
Catherine Girl
#322 667,789 births
Catalina Girl
#128 33,009 births
Cathleen Girl
#8463 29,923 births
Cathryn Girl
#6650 16,332 births
Catharine Girl
#12162 12,994 births
Compare Cathy side by side: Cathy vs Catherine Cathy vs Catalina Cathy vs Cathleen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cathy
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1918–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cathy: #5993 Girls' Name - 170,303 Births, Peak 1958." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cathy. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cathy draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.