Kathy
Girl name · #3255 in 2025 · Very rare
Kathy is currently the #3255 girl name in the United States — 48 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1685, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 37,500 girls born in 2025 was named Kathy.
Babies named Kathy per year. Source: SSA.
The 115-year story
Kathy first appears in the Social Security records in 1910, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1958, when 23,938 girls were named Kathy — good for #14 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. 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.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kathy against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kathy in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Kathy is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Kathy will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Kathy is most common
State-level data for Kathy is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Nicknames & related forms of Kathy
Kathy belongs to the Katherine family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
KatherineKateKatieKathyKatKittyKaty
Counted as one name, the Katherine family went to about 2,805 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #88, versus #3255 for Kathy alone.
Names like Kathy
Statistically, parents drawn to Kathy tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Vicky, Tammy, Becky, Sandy, and Polly.
VickyTammyBeckySandyPollyCindyKimKay
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kathy | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 48 | #3249 |
| 2024 | 64 | #2694 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2823 |
| 2022 | 75 | #2425 |
| 2021 | 72 | #2460 |
| 2020 | 83 | #2170 |
| 2019 | 76 | #2355 |
| 2018 | 91 | #2098 |
| 2017 | 111 | #1842 |
| 2016 | 159 | #1446 |
| 2015 | 126 | #1685 |
| 2014 | 142 | #1534 |
| 2013 | 139 | #1557 |
| 2012 | 176 | #1334 |
| 2011 | 171 | #1348 |
| 2010 | 190 | #1260 |
| 2009 | 204 | #1218 |
| 2008 | 268 | #991 |
| 2007 | 294 | #921 |
| 2006 | 294 | #903 |
| 2005 | 286 | #883 |
| 2004 | 283 | #869 |
| 2003 | 308 | #803 |
| 2002 | 362 | #693 |
| 2001 | 343 | #715 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kathy a popular girl name?
Kathy ranked #3255 among girls in 2025 with 48 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1685.
When was the name Kathy most popular?
Kathy peaked in 1958, when 23,938 American girls received the name (ranked #14 that year). Since 1958 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Kathy?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 37,500 newborn American girls was named Kathy. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
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.