Find out how popular the last name Cathey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cathey.

Cathey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cathey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cathey in America

Cathey is the 4048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cathey surname appeared 8,779 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Cathey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cathey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cathey

The surname Cathey has its origins in England, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "caed," which means "hardy" or "vigorous." The name may also be linked to the village of Cadney in Lincolnshire, England, suggesting that early bearers of the surname hailed from this region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Radulfus Cadi is mentioned. This is likely an early spelling variation of the Cathey surname. Another early reference appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332, which lists a certain Thomas Cady.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Cathey, or its variations like Cady and Caddy, began to appear more frequently in various historical records across England. Among notable individuals bearing this name was John Caddy, a prominent merchant and alderman of Bristol in the late 16th century (born around 1550).

In the 17th century, the Cathey surname gained further recognition with the exploits of William Caddye, a renowned English navigator and explorer who sailed with the East India Company. He was born in 1610 and is credited with mapping several unexplored regions of Southeast Asia.

Another notable figure was Mary Cady, a Puritan woman who immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. She became a respected member of the community and played a significant role in the establishment of the town of Ipswich.

During the 18th century, the Cathey surname continued to spread across different parts of England. One notable bearer was Robert Caddey, a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Carmarthen Circuit in Wales from 1755 to 1775.

Throughout the 19th century, several individuals with the Cathey surname made their mark in various fields. Among them was James Caddy, a Scottish botanist and horticulturist born in 1801, who introduced several new plant species to Britain from his expeditions abroad.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cathey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cathey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cathey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cathey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cathey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cathey, please contact us.

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