Holding steady.
Popularity of Kathlee since 1927
Babies named Kathlee per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1963, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Kathlee's real moment was 1927.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 |
| 1930s | 0 |
| 1940s | 22 |
| 1950s | 48 |
| 1960s | 29 |
| 1970s | 11 |
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Kathlee is a rare and distinctive name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1927, its peak year of usage. It has never ranked in the top 1000, and its trajectory has remained stable at very low numbers, with fewer than 5 births annually in most decades. The name appears to be a respelling of Kathleen, popularized in the early 20th century, and follows a pattern of names ending in -lee that were fashionable at the time. Given its rarity, Kathlee has no recorded top states of popularity. Its similarity to more common names like Kathleen and Cathleen gives it a familiar sound while remaining unique.
Kathlee appears to be a modern respelling or variant of Kathleen, itself an anglicized form of the Irish name Caitlín, derived from the Greek name Aikaterine (meaning 'pure'). The earliest recorded use of Kathlee in U.S. data is 1927, though it remains extremely rare, never ranking in the top 1000. Its spelling likely reflects a phonetic simplification or fashion for names ending in -lee.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Kat, Kathy, Lee
Sibling names for Kathlee
Names that share Kathlee's style, for a brother or sister.
