Girls' name · since 1910
Kathy
Kathy has 334,131 recorded births since 1910 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1958 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #114 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,255 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 334,131
- born since 1910
- 1950s
- peak decade
334,131 babies have been named Kathy since 1910, making it today's #3255 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Kathy recorded 334,131 times among girls since 1910, holding rank #3255 nationally today, ahead of 81% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1910 to 2025.
- #114 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,255 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 334,131 born since 1910
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kathy ranks #114 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,255 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 334,131 born since 1910, peaking in the 1950s.
- #114 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,255 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 334,131
- born since 1910
- 1950s
- peak decade
Kathy's 334,131 recorded births place it above 99.84% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kathy compares
334,131 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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
Kathy's all-time total is 889x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kathy | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 334,131 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 23,938 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kathy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Kathy's SSA record in two at 1969 and the more recent half accounts for 13% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 87%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1910, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1958 peak of 23,938, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Kathy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1910–2025
- Peak year (1958)
- 23,938
- Annual births at peak, across 116 years of records
Kathy popularity over time - boys
739 total births recorded since 1942 (Kathy as boys' name)
Kathy by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (157,930 births, 47% of the file).
1950s was Kathy's strongest decade.
157,930 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.
Kathy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 57
1910s
57 births
- 1920s 198
1920s
198 births
- 1930s 1,254
1930s
1,254 births
- 1940s 34,766
1940s
34,766 births
- 1950s
1950s
157,930 births
- 1960s
1960s
101,127 births
- 1970s 22,706
1970s
22,706 births
- 1980s 6,977
1980s
6,977 births
- 1990s 4,312
1990s
4,312 births
- 2000s 3,021
2000s
3,021 births
- 2010s 1,381
2010s
1,381 births
- 2020s 402
2020s
402 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 157,930 births (47% of all-time use).
How Kathy 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 Kathy's total volume
Kathy by state
Where Kathy concentrates geographically, total births since 1910
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 27,172 | 8.1% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 21,556 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 19,076 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 18,440 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 18,076 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 16,313 | 4.9% |
| #7 | New York | | 16,105 | 4.8% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 12,656 | 3.8% |
27,172 of 334,131 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kathy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kathy? ▼
Where does Kathy sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kathy most popular? ▼
Where is Kathy most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kathy been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kathy? ▼
What to do with Kathy's data
- Kathy's decade-level peak was the 1950s (157,930 total births); usage has since declined to 402 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kathys (27,172 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kathy
Nearby Names Like Kathy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kathy
Compare Kathy side by side: Kathy vs Kathleen Kathy vs Katherine Kathy vs Kathryn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kathy
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kathy: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1958)
Similar record span (~115 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1910–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Kathy 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 August 2026.