How popular is the baby name Kathy in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Kathy.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Kathy


Posts that mention the name Kathy

Where did the baby name Bobbiejo come from in 1964?

The character Bobbie Jo Bradley from the TV series "Petticoat Junction" (1963-1970)
Bobbie Jo Bradley from “Petticoat Junction“

The folksy-sounding girl name Bobbiejo didn’t start popping up in the U.S. baby name until the middle of the 1960s:

  • 1966: 11 baby girls named Bobbiejo
  • 1965: 8 baby girls named Bobbiejo
  • 1964: 7 baby girls named Bobbiejo [debut]
  • 1963: unlisted
  • 1962: unlisted

What put it there?

Television! The sitcom Petticoat Junction, which aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970, featured a trio of teenage sisters with similar nicknames:

  • Wilhelmina Josephine, “Billie Jo”
  • Roberta Josephine, “Bobbie Jo”
  • Elizabeth Josephine, “Betty Jo”

The main character was their widowed mother, Kathryn “Kate” Bradley, proprietor of the Shady Rest Hotel (located near the fictional farming community of Hooterville).

The role of middle daughter Bobbie Jo was played by actress Pat Woodell for the first two years, then by actress Lori Saunders for the rest of the show’s run.

The series also gave a boost to the baby names Betty Jo and Billie Jo in the 1960s. And when Betty Jo had a baby girl named Kathy Jo in a later season, that name got a boost as well.

The name Bobbie Jo went on to see peak usage in 1976, possibly thanks to the movie Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (which starred Lynda Carter and Marjoe Gortner).

Which of the three “Jo” names do you like best: Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, or Betty Jo?

Sources:

  • Petticoat Junction – Wikipedia
  • Terrace, Vincent. The Television Treasury: Onscreen Details from Sitcoms, Dramas and Other Scripted Series, 1947-2019. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2020.
  • SSA

Image: Screenshot of Petticoat Junction

Where did the baby name Clayt come from in 1967?

The character Clayt Monroe from the TV series "The Monroes" (1966-1967)
Clayt Monroe from “The Monroes“

The name Clayt, a short form for Clayton, was one of the top debut names of the year in 1967. It remained in the U.S. baby name data for just one more year before dropping back below the SSA’s 5-baby threshold.

  • 1969: unlisted
  • 1968: 7 baby boys named Clayt
  • 1967: 13 baby boys named Clayt [debut]
  • 1966: unlisted
  • 1965: unlisted

Where did it come from?

A character in a single-season Western called The Monroes, which aired on TV from September of 1966 to August of 1967.

Clayt Monroe (played by Michael Anderson, Jr.) was the oldest of the five orphaned children journeying west from Illinois to Wyoming Territory in the 1870s. After the Monroe parents died in the first episode (they were swept away while crossing a river), 18-year-old Clayt led his siblings onward, toward the land their father had staked out the decade before (a “valley Pa had marked with a pile of rocks”).

Clayt’s younger siblings were named Kathy, Jefferson and Fennimore (twins), and Amy.

What do you think of the name Clayt? Do you think it works well as a standalone name?

Source: CTVA Western – “The Monroes” (1966-67), SSA

Image: Screenshot of The Monroes