Explore the Family Name Cathy

The meaning of Cathy

1. Altered form of Scottish Cathey. 2. French: from a pet form of the personal name Catherine.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Cathy in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Cathy witnessed a slight drop in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. Ranked at 47,575 in the year 2000, it slid to the 49,546th spot in 2010, indicating a decline of 4.14%. However, the count of people bearing this surname modestly increased from 419 in 2000 to 424 in 2010, marking an uptick of 1.19%. Nevertheless, when considering the proportion per 100k individuals, the name saw a decrease of 12.5%, moving from 0.16 in 2000 to 0.14 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#47,575#49,546-4.14%
Count4194241.19%
Proportion per 100k0.160.14-12.5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cathy

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some significant changes between 2000 and 2010. The representation of the surname Cathy among White individuals increased by 4.74%, moving from 59.90% to 62.74%. Simultaneously, there was a substantial increase in the Hispanic community as well, with the representation nearly doubling from 2.15% in 2000 to 4.25% in 2010. However, the surname witnessed a decrease within the Black community, sliding down from 33.89% in 2000 to 29.01% in 2010, indicating a reduction of 14.40%. The data for Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities remained unchanged or were suppressed (S) for privacy reasons. Additionally, there was a new appearance of the surname in the category representing two or more races in 2010.

20002010Change
White59.9%62.74%4.74%
Black33.89%29.01%-14.4%
Hispanic2.15%4.25%97.67%
Two or More Races0%3.07%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.91%0%0%