Total births
20,952
Girls' name · since 1880
Katy
20,952 babies named Katy in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1987. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2465
- among girls today
- 20,952
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Katy is the #2465 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 20,952 recorded since 1880.
Katy has 20,952 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2465 as of the latest data, more common than 86% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2465 among girls today
- 20,952 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 86% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Katy is currently the #2465 girls' name in America, more common than 86% of girls - 20,952 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #2465
- among girls today
- 20,952
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other girls
Katy vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2465
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 86% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Katy was born in this single decade.
1987
Single peak year
674 babies were named Katy in 1987 - its busiest year on record.
How Katy compares
20,952 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Katy's all-time total is 55x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Katy | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,952 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 674 | 48 | 19,840 |
Katy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Katy's SSA record in two at 1954 and the more recent half accounts for 87% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 13%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1987 peak of 674, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Katy at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1987
Current rank
#2,465
Active since
1880
Katy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1987)
- 674
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Katy popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1980 (Katy as boys' name)
Katy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Katy's strongest decade.
5,926 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Katy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 54
1880s
54 births
- 1890s 123
1890s
123 births
- 1900s 184
1900s
184 births
- 1910s 356
1910s
356 births
- 1920s 538
1920s
538 births
- 1930s 543
1930s
543 births
- 1940s 706
1940s
706 births
- 1950s 935
1950s
935 births
- 1960s 1,445
1960s
1,445 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,473 births
- 1980s
1980s
5,926 births
- 1990s
1990s
3,486 births
- 2000s 2,212
2000s
2,212 births
- 2010s 1,491
2010s
1,491 births
- 2020s 480
2020s
480 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 5,926 births (28% of all-time use).
How Katy 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 Katy's total volume
Katy vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Katy by state
Where Katy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 3,246 | 15.5% |
| #2 | California | | 2,246 | 10.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 768 | 3.7% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 652 | 3.1% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 644 | 3.1% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 519 | 2.5% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 466 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 454 | 2.2% |
Texas share of Katy's total US births 15.5%
Even split
3,246 of 20,952 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Katy appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Katy? ▼
20,952 babies have been named Katy since 1880. It currently ranks #2465 among girls. The peak year was 1987 with 674 births.
When was Katy most popular? ▼
Katy was most popular in the 1980s decade with 5,926 total births. The single peak year was 1987.
Where is Katy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Katy are Texas (3,246 births), California (2,246 births), New York (768 births).
How long has the name Katy been used? ▼
Katy has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Katy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kathleen, Katherine, Kathryn, Kathy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Katy's data
- Katy's decade-level peak was the 1980s (5,926 total births); usage has since declined to 480 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Katys (3,246 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Katy
Nearby Names Like Katy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Katy
Kathleen Girl
#1099 713,645 births
Katherine Girl
#175 650,926 births
Kathryn Girl
#714 455,423 births
Kathy Girl
#2699 334,131 births
Katie Girl
#576 241,285 births
Compare Katy side by side: Katy vs Kathleen Katy vs Katherine Katy vs Kathryn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Katy
Imogene #2464
27,901 births · Peak 1927
Jesse #2466
12,492 births · Peak 1981
Mable #2463
53,251 births · Peak 1922
Zaida #2467
3,929 births · Peak 2011
Effie #2462
44,256 births · Peak 1919
Malena #2468
4,058 births · Peak 2004
Lively #2461
610 births · Peak 2024
Melia #2469
5,321 births · Peak 2006
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Katy: #2465 Girls' Name - 20,952 Births, Peak 1987." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/katy. 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 Katy 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.