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Cathy as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Cathy

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The baby name Cathy is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KATH-ee (IPA: /ˈkæθi/).

Cathy is Greek in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Greek
Pronunciation: KATH-ee (IPA: /ˈkæθi/)

What is the meaning of the name Cathy ?

The baby name Cathy is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KATH-ee (IPA: /ˈkæθi/).

Cathy is Greek in Origin.

Cathy is an English diminutive of Catherine and its variants, linked to Greek Aikaterine and commonly associated with katharos "pure." Promoted across Europe by veneration of St Catherine, the nickname appears in English by the 18th-19th centuries and became an independent given name in the mid-20th century. It peaked in many English-speaking countries during the 1950s-70s before waning, yet retains a warm, informal feel.

Variants include Kathy, Cathie, Cathi, Catie/Caty, and short forms Cat and Cate. Formal counterparts span Catherine, Katharine/Katherine, Kathryn/Cathryn, and Catharine; related names include Kathleen/Cathleen (from Irish Caitlín), Catalina, Caterina, and Ekaterina/Yekaterina. The meaning centers on "pure" or "clear," though some trace the root to the goddess Hecate. In culture, Cathy is the familiar of Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights and the namesake of the comic strip Cathy by Cathy Guisewite.

Cathy has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Cathy

Cathy Moriarty Actor · Born 1960 · United States Cathy Moriarty is an American actress best known for playing Vickie LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980). Born and raised in New York City, she made her film debut opposite Robert De Niro in that role and earned Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations for her performance. Cathy O'Donnell Actor · Born 1923 · United States Cathy O'Donnell was an American actress best known for her roles in The Best Years of Our Lives, They Live by Night, and Ben-Hur. Born Ann Steely, she also appeared in noir and drama films including Detective Story. Cathy Lee Crosby Actor · Born 1944 · United States Cathy Lee Crosby is an American actress best known for her role in the 1974 television movie 'Wonder Woman'. She also appeared in films like 'Coach' and 'The Dark'.
Cathy Dennis Actor · Born 1968 · United Kingdom Cathy Dennis is best known as a British singer-songwriter who achieved fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s with hits like 'Touch Me (All Night Long)' and 'Too Many Walls'. She later became a successful songwriter, co-writing hits such as 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' for Kylie Minogue and 'Toxic' for Britney Spears. Cathy Downs Actor · Born 1924 · United States Cathy Downs was an American film actress best known for her role in My Darling Clementine. She also appeared in films like The Dark Corner and Kansas City Confidential.

Celebrity babies named Cathy

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Cathy Scorsese Martin Scorsese film director ★★★★★

Cathy – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2017 #1 — 949
FJ Girls 0 #8 2 583
ET Girls 0 #16 1 372
BW 0 #19 1 960
CN Girls 0 #22 1,081 8,829
HT Girls 0 #22 2 950
NA 0 #27 7 2,537
MO 0 #28 25 2,706
BN 0 #30 3 2,297
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
LU 0 #43 24 2,830
MT 0 #43 1 1,767
CM 0 #44 12 2,592
TW 0 #45 57 4,523
PH 0 #53 44 5,607
PR 0 #53 3 1,497
CN 0 #60 26 3,857
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
MO Girls 0 #63 259 7,056
TW Girls 0 #68 290 8,139
JP 0 #71 7 4,057
AO 0 #75 3 2,729
HK Girls 0 #84 1,946 16,104
QA 0 #86 15 7,011
LT 0 #88 1 949
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
BW Girls 0 #93 56 4,216
AF Girls 0 #94 1 2,402
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
BN Girls 0 #96 11 5,459
ID Girls 0 #100 3 3,319
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
OM 0 #106 11 6,215
LU Girls 0 #108 83 4,850
PH Girls 0 #110 363 13,098
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
KW 0 #115 7 5,216
CM Girls 0 #117 951 11,671
HK 0 #117 314 8,483
CY Girls 0 #120 6 3,755
GR 0 #132 4 3,911
MU 0 #132 6 3,613
EE Girls 0 #134 9 1,888
NA Girls 0 #135 91 7,146
CR 0 #137 22 5,526
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
MT Girls 0 #151 3 3,773
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
AE 0 #158 20 10,220
PR Girls 0 #161 7 3,171
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
AO Girls 0 #192 18 4,575
DK 0 #205 2 5,198
Belgium Girls 1995 #211 18 429
GR Girls 0 #217 26 6,293
QA Girls 0 #217 100 15,378
SG 0 #217 53 11,010
PS 0 #221 6 5,692
ZA Girls 0 #221 2,801 25,928
HU Girls 0 #223 3 3,308
JP Girls 0 #227 19 6,592
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
MO Boys 0 #231 4 5,842
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
GH 0 #245 4 5,396
PT 0 #247 4 4,161
JM Girls 0 #248 12 7,507
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
EC Girls 0 #254 5 3,650
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
OM Girls 0 #265 132 15,987
NG 0 #267 6 5,926
ZA 0 #275 174 14,421
IL 0 #277 6 6,291
KW Girls 0 #277 249 19,177
SG Girls 0 #281 355 18,916
MU Girls 0 #282 70 8,539
SA 0 #282 14 10,560
Canada Girls 2021 #285 6 2,910
MY 0 #289 42 12,352
PE 0 #289 22 6,350
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
GH Girls 0 #295 30 6,973
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
DK Girls 0 #307 10 7,429
CN Boys 0 #310 10 9,639
JO Girls 0 #314 12 7,570
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
AE Girls 0 #336 221 20,968
GT 0 #336 3 5,948
CZ Girls 0 #347 5 5,378
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
BR 0 #358 3 5,969
PL Girls 0 #361 4 5,096
NL 0 #362 30 2,481
CL 0 #364 48 6,867
Finland Girls 0 #376 16 1,368
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
France Girls 2021 #397 9 3,185
BD Girls 0 #401 6 8,413
Austria Girls 0 #402 19 1,885
PH Boys 0 #403 6 11,440
PT Girls 0 #404 48 7,952
Germany 0 #406 32 2,542
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
EG 0 #410 3 6,387
Spain 0 #428 25 2,326
CR Girls 0 #429 104 11,342
UY Girls 0 #430 81 6,731
MX 0 #440 6 8,339
PA Girls 0 #456 26 9,861
CO 0 #466 15 7,768
GT Girls 0 #474 32 7,500
RU Girls 0 #476 23 11,913
PS Girls 0 #483 41 10,981
NL Girls 0 #486 579 5,933
BH 0 #487 67 17,937
HK Boys 0 #504 24 12,905
CM Boys 0 #511 40 12,054
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
RU Boys 0 #526 1 12,621
IR Girls 0 #538 8 8,334
CL Girls 0 #544 334 14,098
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
SA Girls 0 #560 396 25,931
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
IL Girls 0 #562 56 11,648
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
MY Girls 0 #569 474 24,821
AR Girls 0 #580 20 8,289
BO Girls 0 #591 21 9,488
LB 0 #615 44 13,263
IN Girls 0 #619 13 13,121
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
Germany Girls 0 #648 194 4,949
IT 0 #657 58 4,183
PE Girls 0 #666 294 14,861
NG Girls 0 #668 120 15,093
CL Boys 0 #699 2 13,390
Spain Girls 0 #701 296 5,561
Finland Girls 2026 #725 14 3,895
SG Boys 0 #736 4 17,960
QA Boys 0 #739 5 18,093
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
KW Boys 0 #800 7 18,755
TN 0 #816 14 13,765
United States Girls 2024 #897 20 8,487
EG Girls 0 #913 47 14,742
OM Boys 0 #914 5 17,948
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
BR Girls 0 #986 7 12,708
NG Boys 0 #999 3 16,906
CO Girls 0 #1,001 78 16,140
MX Girls 0 #1,036 148 17,781
MA 0 #1,076 53 20,986
IT Girls 0 #1,106 347 9,415
ZA Boys 0 #1,120 59 25,619
AE Boys 0 #1,135 9 22,615
DZ 0 #1,159 18 20,130
MY Boys 0 #1,178 5 25,439
TR 0 #1,191 21 19,440
SA Boys 0 #1,597 18 28,008

Cathy is popular in 84 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Ireland
Canada
United States
Wallonia, Belgium

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People also ask about Cathy

Cathy is predominantly a girl's name.
Cathy is a 2 syllable name, pronounced KATH-ee (IPA: /ˈkæθi/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Cathie, Cathi, Cathey, Kathy, Kathie and Kathi.
Yes, very popular — Cathy ranked #1 in Ireland in 2017, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Cathy ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2017).
Cathy's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2007 to #1 in 2017 in Ireland.
Yes — 5 notable people named Cathy are in our database, including Cathy Moriarty (Actor), Cathy O'Donnell (Actor), Cathy Lee Crosby (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Cathy for their child, including Martin Scorsese.