Katy is a diminutive form of the name Catherine or Katherine, which are derived from the Greek name Aikaterine. The original meaning of this name is "pure" or "innocent," and it was popularized by Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who was martyred in the fourth century.
The use of Katy as a given name became more common in the late 20th century, particularly in English-speaking countries such as the United States and Australia. However, variations of this name have been used for centuries, with examples found in medieval records from France and England.
One notable historical figure named Katy was Katy Houston, who was an American civil rights activist during the 1960s. She was known for her involvement in the Selma to Montgomery marches and her advocacy for voting rights for African Americans.
Today, Katy is still a popular name for girls, often chosen by parents for its cheerful and approachable sound. It is also sometimes associated with the American singer Katy Perry, whose real name is Katheryn Hudson. However, this has not been proven to have significantly impacted the popularity of the name Katy.
The given statistics show the number of births with the name Katy in the United States from 1880 to 2023. Over this period of nearly 145 years, there have been a total of 20,814 babies named Katy.
Looking at the data year by year reveals several trends and patterns:
* From 1880 to around 1960, the number of births with the name Katy fluctuated between 6 and 24 each year.
* In the late 1950s and early 1960s, there was a noticeable increase in the popularity of the name Katy. This trend continued into the 1970s, reaching its peak in 1978 with 440 births that year.
* The height of Katy's popularity coincided with the release of the popular song "Katy" by Pete Seeger in 1965 and the TV show "What's Happening!" featuring a character named 'Riff' whose sister was called Katy, which aired from 1976 to 1979.
* After its peak in the late 1970s, the popularity of the name Katy began to decline steadily. By the early 2000s, there were fewer than 300 births with the name each year on average.
* Despite this decline in popularity, the name Katy continues to be given to babies each year in the United States. Between 2016 and 2023, there have been between 82 and 91 births with the name Katy per year.
Overall, these statistics show that while the name Katy has had periods of relative popularity and unpopularity over the years, it remains a commonly used name in the United States.