Given name & surname

Cady

Cady is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “one who is pure; finding happiness in simplicity.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

One American interpretation is “one who is pure; finding happiness in simplicity.”

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is American.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1970. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Cady through the years

Babies since 1880
2,454
20 boys · 2,434 girls
Most popular year
1992
155 babies
2025
10
#9,574 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−28%
Easing
0255075100198020002025Highest share 19926.2
Cady in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1970–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9,574 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 28.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 155 in 1992. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,309 as a first name in 2020; 8,408 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Cady’s family of names

Cady has a related form in Cade. Cady has a related form in Cadie. Cady has a related form in Cadi.

Walk Cady’s family in the name graph

CadyCadeCadieCadiCadeeCadeyCaidieCadyeCadeaCadeahCadynaKady

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 10

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

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Across languages 1

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

Similar names

If you love Cady, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

English · Modern

Kassidy

“a curly-haired man”

49UncommonCooling

3% boys · 97% girls

American · Modern

Keslie

“from the holly garden; of the gray fortress”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

American · Modern

Keyonna

“an energetic woman”

18Very rareCooling

>99% girls

American · Modern

Kaneesha

“a dark-skinned beauty”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

American · Modern

Karnesha

“a feisty woman”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

American · Modern

Keydy

“a knowledgeable woman”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

American · Modern

Kienna

“a brash woman”

14Very rareRising fast

>99% girls

American · Modern

Kourtney

“one who is polite; courteous”

29RareCooling

8% boys · 92% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Cady’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.