Cathal
Cathal is a common given name in Ireland. The name is derived from two Celtic elements: the first, cath, means "battle"; the second element, val, means "rule". There is no feminine form of Cathal. The Gaelic name has several anglicised forms, such as Cathel, Cahal, Cahill and Kathel.
- Irish
- Old Irish
Meaning & Origin of Cathal
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Cathal is a common given name in Ireland. The name is derived from two Celtic elements: the first, cath, means "battle"; the second element, val, means "rule". There is no feminine form of Cathal. The Gaelic name has several anglicised forms, such as Cathel, Cahal, Cahill and Kathel.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Irish
- Old Irish
The Story of Cathal
American parents first put Cathal on the record books as a baby boy name in 1998, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2000, when 10 Cathals were born — ranking #6,315 that year. About 73% of every Cathal on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. Cathal last appeared in the published SSA data in 2015, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 40 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Cathal
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Cathal. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Cahal
- Cathalán
Names that sound like Cathal
Phonetically similar names — useful when Cathal is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cathal
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About the name Cathal
Cathal is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1998 and has accumulated 40 births in the dataset. Cathal's peak popularity came in 2000 when it ranked #6,315. Use the chart and map above to compare Cathal's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2000 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.