Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Kathy?
Births per year, rank history and how many Kathies are alive today.
Kathy (female) is a shortened form of the name Kathleen (and sometimes of Katherine or Kathryn). Although Kathy itself was given to 3 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 5927th as a registered name), most Kathies are registered as Kathleen, which ranked 997th in 2025 with 34 babies.
Most people called Kathy are registered as Kathleen, and share that name's profile: the Kathleen you are most likely to meet is around 81 years old. Half of all Kathleens born in England and Wales are between 68 and 88, and there are at least 76,000 of them alive today. Only some Kathleens go by Kathy.
How many babies are named Kathy or Kathleen each year?
Combined registrations of Kathleen, Kathy. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Kathleen rank as a registered name?
Where does Kathy rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Kathy short for Kathleen?
Yes - Kathy is a shortened form of Kathleen. It is also used for Katherine and Kathryn. Kathies are usually registered as Kathleen at birth.
When was the name Kathy most popular?
The full name Kathleen peaked in 1914, when around 15,200 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Kathy itself peaked as a registered name in 1997, with 14 babies.
How many people are called Kathy?
There's no official count of people who go by Kathy, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 76,000 people registered as Kathleen born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Kathy.
How old is the typical Kathy?
Most people called Kathy are registered as Kathleen. Most living Kathleens are between 68 and 88; the most common age is about 81.
Is Kathy becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1914 peak.