Girl · #10,274 in 2026

Cathey

Name: Popularity of the name Cathey in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Cathey, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Cathey is a surname of Scottish origin. It is a reduced form of the surname MacCathay which is Galloway surname of uncertain origin.Morgan Cathey, American soccer player Key Glock, American rapper Reg E. Cathey (1958–2018), American film and television actor

Current Rank

#10,274

Peak Rank

#724 (1953)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1939

First Year

1983

Last Year

1953

Peak Year

#724

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Cathey

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Cathey

American parents first put Cathey on the record books as a baby girl name in 1939, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1953, when 157 Catheys were born — ranking #724 that year. The 1950s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 54% of all recorded Catheys. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1983 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 2K Catheys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1930s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Cathey

Phonetically similar names — useful when Cathey 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 Cathey

What does the name Cathey mean?

How popular is Cathey in 2026?

In 2026, Cathey ranks #10,274 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Cathey most popular?

Cathey reached its peak popularity in 1953, ranking #724 that year with 157 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Cathey most popular?

Cathey has historically been most popular in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Cathey.

Is Cathey a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Cathey is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Cathey?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cathey include Elizebeth, Lady, Waneta. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Cathey

Cathey is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1939 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Cathey's peak popularity came in 1953 when it ranked #724. Use the chart and map above to compare Cathey's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

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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.