Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1987

Katy

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,709 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

A diminutive of the female given name Katherine, variant of Katie.

Rank 2025
#2,709
among girls · ↓233 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
64
named Katy · -12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 25,114
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1987
674 babies
All-time total
20,957
#1,033 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Katy popularity over time

20,957 babies have been named Katy 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
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 54 – 54 5 – #708
1890s 123 – 123 12 +128% #775
1900s 184 – 184 18 +50% #703
1910s 356 – 356 36 +93% #862
1920s 538 – 538 54 +51% #910
1930s 543 – 543 54 +1% #779
1940s 706 – 706 71 +30% #788
1950s 935 – 935 94 +32% #759
1960s 1,445 – 1,445 145 +55% #752
1970s 2,473 – 2,473 247 +71% #445
1980s 5,926 5 5,931 593 +140% #351
1990s 3,486 – 3,486 349 -41% #511
2000s 2,212 – 2,212 221 -37% #935
2010s 1,491 – 1,491 149 -33% #1,200
2020s (to 2025) 480 – 480 80 -46% #2,150

Where Katy is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 61 0.04 outside top 500
2027 59 0.04 outside top 500
2028 57 0.04 outside top 500
2029 56 0.03 outside top 500
2030 55 0.03 outside top 500

Where Katy is most popular

Girls named Katy per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.049 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Texas, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Katy born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 22 0.093 +90%
Texas 73 0.091 +85%
California 44 0.052 +7%
Ohio 12 0.051 ≈ national
Indiana 5 0.036 -27%
New York 11 0.028 -43%
Georgia 6 0.026 -46%
North Carolina 5 0.022 -55%
Florida 6 0.014 -71%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Katy

Katy is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,709 in 2025 with 64 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 20,957 American babies have been named Katy. Its peak came in 1987, when 674 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Katy stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Katy?

The median living Katy is about 38 years old; half are between 27 and 47. An estimated 18 thousand people named Katy are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

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

Katy year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 64 #2,709 – –
2024 73 #2,476 – –
2023 89 #2,150 – –
2022 85 #2,220 – –
2021 87 #2,164 – –
2020 82 #2,208 – –
2019 91 #2,081 – –
2018 113 #1,804 – –
2017 116 #1,795 – –
2016 133 #1,640 – –
2015 143 #1,547 – –
2014 184 #1,296 – –
2013 160 #1,424 – –
2012 165 #1,401 – –
2011 201 #1,200 – –
2010 185 #1,290 – –
2009 194 #1,260 – –
2008 214 #1,192 – –
2007 217 #1,175 – –
2006 210 #1,161 – –
2005 226 #1,057 – –
2004 240 #988 – –
2003 233 #994 – –
2002 240 #935 – –
2001 218 #987 – –
2000 220 #964 – –
1995 328 #654 – –
1990 470 #511 – –
1985 654 #362 – –
1980 503 #429 5 #6,762
1975 207 #714 – –
1970 165 #831 – –
1965 140 #843 – –
1960 185 #752 – –
1955 66 #1,248 – –
1950 76 #1,057 – –
1945 55 #1,054 – –
1940 81 #788 – –
1935 57 #917 – –
1930 42 #1,148 – –
1925 65 #926 – –
1920 57 #974 – –
1915 41 #1,046 – –
1910 16 #1,146 – –
1905 15 #988 – –
1900 17 #929 – –
1895 17 #780 – –
1890 13 #775 – –
1885 7 #877 – –
1880 7 #708 – –

Famous people named Katy

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

  1. 1 Katy Perry Katy Perry American singer (born 1984) Contemporary
  2. 2 Katy Mixon Katy Mixon American actress and model b. 1981 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Katy Jurado Katy Jurado Mexican actress (1924–2002) Contemporary
  4. 4 Katy B Katy B British singer (born 1989) Contemporary
  5. 5 Katy Garbi Katy Garbi Greek singer (born 1961) Contemporary
  6. 6 Katy Marchant Katy Marchant English track cyclist (born 1993) Contemporary
  7. 7 Katy Bødtger Danish singer 1932–2017 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Katy?

The median living Katy is about 38 years old. Half of all living Katys are between 27 and 47 years old.

How many people named Katy are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Katy are alive in the United States, based on 20,957 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Katy mean?

A diminutive of the female given name Katherine, variant of Katie.

How popular is the name Katy in 2025?

Katy ranked #2,709 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 64 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Katy?

20,957 babies have been named Katy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Katy most popular?

Katy peaked in 1987, when 674 newborns received the name.

Is Katy a boy or girl name?

Katy is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Katy rising or falling?

Katy is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Katy become more popular?

Katy is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 55 girls named Katy 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 Katy?

Well-known people named Katy include Katy Perry (singer), Katy Mixon (actor), Katy Jurado (actor).

Names like Katy

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

Compare Katy with similar names → More names starting with K →