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Katy

girl name
Origin
Greek
Syllables
2
Peak era
1970s/2020s
Today
▬ Steady

Meaning

variant of Katherine, traditionally pure

The story

Read the story of Katherine →

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Katy around the world

One shared root links 26 names across 8 languages.

Shared root: from Greek Aikaterine, linked since early Christian times to katharos "pure", though the name's true origin predates that folk etymology

The constellation

KatyEnglish · short formKatherineEnglishCatherineFrenchKathleenIrishCaitlinIrishKatrinaGermanCatarinaPortugueseCaterinaItalian
18 more branches of this family
KatharineEnglish · variantKathrynEnglish · variantKathrineEnglish · variantKatherynEnglish · variantCathrynEnglish · variantCathleenIrish · variantCaitlynEnglish · variantKaitlynEnglish · variantKatelynEnglish · variantKatelynnEnglish · variantKarenDanish · short formKarinScandinavian · short formKarinaScandinavian · related formKateEnglish · short formKatieEnglish · short formKathyEnglish · short formKayEnglish · short formKittyEnglish · diminutive

Popularity, 1890–2024

1890speak 1970s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Katy peaked in the 1970s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.

See popularity in Brazil

Popularity in Brazil

1,235 people · the #7,175 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 166,667 · median age 35

1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s

Among people named Katy living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.

The census also counted 22 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.

Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

When you meet Katy

Most people given the name Katy in the United States were born between 1970 and 1999. The Katy you meet today is most often in her 30s or 40s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Katy

Kitty Kristy Penny Lexy Tessa Yitty

The Katy deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Katy truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Katy fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

Keep exploring

Short names

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