Given name
Cath
“one who is pure; virginal”
In English use, Cath is a short form of Katherine. In Greek use, Katherine carries the interpretation “one who is pure; virginal.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Cath is a short form of Katherine. In Greek use, Katherine carries the interpretation “one who is pure; virginal.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Cath is a diminutive of Catherine. Catherine possibly comes from French, and ultimately from Ancient Greek.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In English usage, Cath is a diminutive of Catherine.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Cath is a short form of Katherine. The history of Katherine gives this family its wider story. Katherine’s historical associations include Catherine de’ Medici, wife of King Henry II and regent.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Cath through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11
- 0 boys · 11 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1958. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 6 in 1957. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 136 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cath’s family of names
Cath is a short form of Katherine. Cath has a related form in Catherine. In English usage, Cath is a diminutive of Catherine.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Cath
- Catherine BishopBritish rowerborn 1971
- Cath Wallaceenvironmental activistborn 1952
- Cath CheatleyOlympic cyclistborn 1983
- Catherine SwinnertonRoad racing cyclistborn 1958
- Cath KidstonEnglish fashion designer, businesswoman and authorborn 1958
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cath, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kath
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Kathi
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Katri
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Ketty
“one who is pure; virginal” · “of the cauldron”
>99% girls
Kathrine
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Kathy
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Kolene
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Quenna
“a woman sovereign”
>99% girls