Catalia
A feminine name derived from the name Catherine, meaning "pure" or "innocent".
Name Census estimates that about 262 living Americans carry the first name Catalia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Catalia today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Catalia births was 2012 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Catalia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
262
~ 1 in 1,308,223 Americans
Peak year
2012
35 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,421
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Catalia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Catalia from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 182 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Catalia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Catalia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Catalia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Catalias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Florida, Texas recorded the most babies named Catalia, while Texas, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Catalia
The name Catalia is derived from the Latin word "catalia", which means "small bowl" or "cup". It was originally a feminine form of the word "catillus", which referred to a small vessel or dish used for serving food or drink.
The earliest known use of the name Catalia dates back to the Roman Empire, where it was used as a personal name for women. It is believed to have been particularly popular among the lower classes and slaves, who may have used the name to reflect their humble origins or occupations.
In ancient Roman literature, the name Catalia is mentioned in a few inscriptions and records, but it does not appear to have been a common name among the upper classes or nobility. However, it is possible that the name was more widely used than the surviving records suggest.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Catalia was a Roman woman who lived in the 1st century AD. She was a freedwoman, which means she had been a slave but was later granted her freedom. Her name was inscribed on a funerary monument found in the city of Rome.
Another notable individual with the name Catalia was a woman who lived in the 3rd century AD in the Roman province of Dacia (modern-day Romania). She was a Christian martyr who was executed for her faith during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Decius.
In the Middle Ages, the name Catalia appears to have fallen out of use, but it resurfaced in the Renaissance period. One of the most famous individuals with the name was Catalia Sforza (1463-1509), an Italian noblewoman and ruler of the city-state of Forlì and Imola.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Catalia was occasionally used in Italy and Spain, but it remained relatively uncommon. A notable example is Catalia de Erauso (1592-1650), a Spanish nun who fled her convent and lived as a man for many years, serving as a soldier in the Spanish army.
In the 19th century, the name Catalia saw a brief resurgence in popularity, particularly in Italy. One notable individual with the name was Catalia Avellone (1842-1922), an Italian painter and artist who was known for her portraits and religious works.
While the name Catalia has never been widely popular, it has remained in use throughout history, particularly in Italy and other parts of southern Europe. Its origins in the Latin language and its connection to ancient Roman culture give it a sense of historical significance and cultural richness.
People
Catalia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Catalia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Catalia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Catalia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 262 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Catalia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,308,223 US residents.
Is Catalia a common name?
We classify Catalia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Catalia most popular?
The single biggest year for Catalia was 2012, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Catalia is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Catalia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Catalia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Catalia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Catalia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Catalia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Catalia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Catalia as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Catalia, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.