How Many People Are Named Cathy?
An estimated 126,557 people in the United States have the first name Cathy. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #431 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 65 years old, and Cathy peaked in popularity in 1958 with 10,961 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Cathy as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Cathy paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Cathy is overwhelmingly female, 343 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 65, Cathy is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1971.
- Cathy has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
126,557
About 1 in 2,708 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.8% confidence
Average Age
65
years old
Peak Year
1958
10,961 births
Total Registered
170,634
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Cathy
Cathy is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 170,634 total births registered, 99.8% were female.
Cathy as a male name
Ranked #5,318 in 1974
5 male births in 1974
Peak: 1956 (23 births)
Cathy as a female name
Ranked #5,968 in 2024
20 female births in 2024
Peak: 1958 (10,942 births)
Cathy: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Cathy span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 82,858 babies were registered. Cathy has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Cathy by Decade
How has Cathy tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Cathy by State
Birth registrations for Cathy span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Ohio, New York. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 3,283 Cathys were registered per state.
Cathy + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Cathy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Cathy
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Cathy: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cathy?
We estimate approximately 126,557 people named Cathy are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,708 Americans share this first name.
Is Cathy a common name?
Cathy is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 170,634 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Cathy most popular?
Cathy reached peak popularity in 1958, when 10,961 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Cathy is approximately 65 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Cathy a female name?
Cathy is predominantly female. 99.8% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Cathy Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Cathy Smith, Cathy Johnson, Cathy Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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