Kathy

Did you know?

A few things about Kathy you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Kathy

Kathy Acker

American novelist, playwright, essayist, and poet (1947–1997)

Choose Kathy and your child shares a first name with Kathy Acker, an American novelist, playwright, essayist, and poet. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Kathy, like who?” Kathy Acker's Wikipedia article is available in 40 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Kathy Acker on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: CorkyPleasures, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 33,445 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Kathy, 48 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Kathy would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryKathy first shows up in US birth records in 1910, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 115 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1958, when it ranked #14. Today it's #3,249, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowKathy was 7.0× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 4,792 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 33,445.
• 🍂TrendKathy has slipped 1,079 places over the last five years and now sits at #3,249. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningKathy is an English form of Katherine, which means “pure”. Our records link it to Celtic Gaelic, English and Greek roots.

About the name Kathy

Kathy is a girl name of Celtic Gaelic, English and Greek origin meaning “pure”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with K and ending in “-thy”. US birth records list Kathy for girls from 1910 to 2025, in 113 of those 116 years. Its best year was 1958, when it ranked #14 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #3,249, with 48 babies.

Origin:Celtic Gaelic namesEnglish namesGreek namesIrish names