Cateleya
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "pure and innocent".
Name Census estimates that about 100 living Americans carry the first name Cateleya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cateleya today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cateleya births was 2012 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cateleya. 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
100
~ 1 in 3,427,543 Americans
Peak year
2012
11 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,029
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Cateleya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cateleya 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 55 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cateleya 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 Cateleya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cateleyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cateleya
The name Cateleya is derived from the Catalan word 'catelar', which means 'to cultivate' or 'to farm'. It is believed to have originated in the Catalonia region of Spain during the 16th century, where it was likely used as a surname for those involved in agriculture or farming.
While its exact origins are unclear, the name Cateleya is thought to have been influenced by the Latin word 'catella', meaning 'small chain' or 'little link'. This connection to chains and links may have been a reference to the interconnected nature of farming and cultivation practices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cateleya can be found in the 1587 census records of Barcelona, where a woman named Cateleya Fernandez was listed as a resident of the city's La Ribera district. This suggests that the name was already in use among the general population by the late 16th century.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Cateleya remained relatively uncommon but was occasionally used in various parts of Spain and its territories. Notable individuals with this name include Cateleya Mendoza (1632-1701), a Spanish painter known for her still-life compositions, and Cateleya Ortiz (1718-1789), a Puerto Rican seamstress and entrepreneur who established one of the first textile workshops in San Juan.
In the 19th century, the name Cateleya gained some popularity in Latin American countries, particularly in Mexico and Colombia. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Cateleya Jiménez (1835-1898), a Mexican poet and activist who championed women's rights and education reform.
Another notable figure was Cateleya Restrepo (1857-1924), a Colombian botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of orchids native to South America. Her work led to the discovery and classification of several new orchid species, including the stunning Cattleya trianae, commonly known as the "Christmas Orchid".
As the 20th century dawned, the name Cateleya remained relatively uncommon but continued to be used sporadically in various Spanish-speaking regions. One notable bearer was Cateleya Mendoza (1901-1979), a Cuban dancer and choreographer who helped popularize Afro-Cuban dance styles in the United States and Europe.
People
Cateleya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cateleya 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
Cateleya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cateleya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 100 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cateleya 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 3,427,543 US residents.
Is Cateleya a common name?
We classify Cateleya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 101 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cateleya most popular?
The single biggest year for Cateleya was 2012, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cateleya is about 8 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 Cateleya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cateleya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cateleya 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 Cateleya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cateleya 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 Cateleya 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 are called Cateleya?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.