Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Cato

Meaning From Latin Cato Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,804 Trend ↑ Rising 17%

From Latin Cato. A cognomen made particularly famous by Cato the Elder and Younger, members of the gens Porcia.

Rank 2025
#2,804
among boys · ↑253 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
45
named Cato · +13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 37,957
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
45 babies
All-time total
675
#6,592 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Cato popularity over time

675 babies have been named Cato since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1891Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s 6 1 – #830
1890s 8 1 +33% #716
1900s – – – –
1910s 49 5 – #1,565
1920s 41 4 -16% #2,837
1930s 10 1 -76% #3,560
1940s 28 3 +180% #2,666
1950s 16 2 -43% #3,479
1960s 6 1 -62% #3,741
1970s 17 2 +183% #4,623
1980s 18 2 +6% #6,048
1990s 11 1 -39% #7,948
2000s 58 6 +427% #7,516
2010s 190 19 +228% #3,461
2020s (to 2025) 217 36 +90% #2,804

Where Cato is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 47 0.03 outside top 500
2027 48 0.03 outside top 500
2028 50 0.03 outside top 500
2029 51 0.03 outside top 500
2030 52 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Cato

Cato is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,804 in 2025 with 45 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 675 American babies have been named Cato. Its peak came in 2025, when 45 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Cato stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Cato?

The median living Cato is about 7 years old; half are between 3 and 16. An estimated 500 people named Cato are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Cato year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 45 #2,804
2024 40 #3,057
2023 23 #4,480
2022 38 #3,165
2021 37 #3,191
2020 34 #3,280
2019 27 #3,909
2018 32 #3,461
2017 21 #4,620
2016 18 #5,168
2015 23 #4,314
2014 19 #4,909
2013 15 #5,708
2012 13 #6,373
2011 8 #8,889
2010 14 #6,092
2009 9 #8,412
2008 5 #12,836
2007 6 #11,141
2006 10 #7,516
2005 – –
2004 9 #7,621
2003 7 #8,803
2002 7 #8,591
2001 – –
2000 5 #10,611
1995 6 #7,948
1990 – –
1985 – –
1980 5 #6,385
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 5 #3,770
1945 5 #3,393
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 6 #3,809
1920 6 #3,894
1915 5 #3,911
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 6 #830

Famous people named Cato

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Cato the Younger Cato the Younger Roman politician and Stoic (95–46 BC) -95–-46 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Cato the Elder Cato the Elder Roman politician, soldier and writer (234–149 BC) -243–-149 · Antiquity
  3. 3 Cato Maximilian Guldberg Cato Maximilian Guldberg Norwegian mathematician and chemist 1836–1902 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Cato, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Cato?

The median living Cato is about 7 years old. Half of all living Catos are between 3 and 16 years old.

How many people named Cato are alive today?

An estimated 500 people named Cato are alive in the United States, based on 675 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Cato mean?

From Latin Cato. A cognomen made particularly famous by Cato the Elder and Younger, members of the gens Porcia.

How popular is the name Cato in 2025?

Cato ranked #2,804 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 45 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Cato?

675 babies have been named Cato in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Cato most popular?

Cato peaked in 2025, when 45 newborns received the name.

Is Cato a boy or girl name?

Cato is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Cato rising or falling?

Cato is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Cato become more popular?

Cato is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 52 boys named Cato in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Cato?

Well-known people named Cato include Cato the Younger (politician), Cato the Elder (writer), Cato Maximilian Guldberg (mathematician).

Names like Cato

Names that sound and feel close to Cato: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Cato with similar names → More names starting with C →