Cato
Boy name · #2798 in 2025 · Uniqueness 65/100
In 2025, 45 baby boys were named Cato, placing it at #2798 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #4295, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 40,000 boys born in 2025 was named Cato.
The 145-year story
Cato first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 6 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 45 babies and a rank of #2798. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Cato per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Cato against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Cato in class?
Cato scores 65 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Cato is most common
State-level data for Cato is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Cato
Statistically, parents drawn to Cato tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Kato, Mako, Ario, Zeno, and Echo.
KatoMakoArioZenoEchoKaitoCaioAkio
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Cato | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 45 | #2798 |
| 2024 | 40 | #3045 |
| 2023 | 23 | #4456 |
| 2022 | 38 | #3151 |
| 2021 | 37 | #3180 |
| 2020 | 34 | #3274 |
| 2019 | 27 | #3899 |
| 2018 | 32 | #3446 |
| 2017 | 21 | #4594 |
| 2016 | 18 | #5124 |
| 2015 | 23 | #4295 |
| 2014 | 19 | #4866 |
| 2013 | 15 | #5659 |
| 2012 | 13 | #6306 |
| 2011 | 8 | #8767 |
| 2010 | 14 | #6036 |
| 2009 | 9 | #8310 |
| 2008 | 5 | #12553 |
| 2007 | 6 | #10921 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7427 |
| 2004 | 9 | #7536 |
| 2003 | 7 | #8643 |
| 2002 | 7 | #8456 |
| 2000 | 5 | #10349 |
| 1995 | 6 | #7792 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cato a popular boy name?
Cato ranked #2798 among boys in 2025 with 45 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4295.
When was the name Cato most popular?
Cato peaked in 2025, when 45 American boys received the name (ranked #2798 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Cato?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 40,000 newborn American boys was named Cato. It scores 65/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.