Kitty
Say it: KIT-ee/ˈkɪti/
GirlMeans a pet form of Katherine or Caitlín5 letters2 syllables
#294
in Ireland (2025)
#298 with spellings combined
14
babies in 2025
#231
best rank (2020)
261
babies since 1996
Up 81
10-year rank change
Kitty through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #298 |
| 2024 | 13 | #310 |
| 2023 | 15 | #263 |
| 2022 | 16 | #269 |
| 2021 | 10 | #389 |
| 2020 | 19 | #231 |
| 2019 | 8 | #456 |
| 2018 | 12 | #358 |
| 2017 | 13 | #325 |
| 2016 | 10 | #422 |
| 2015 | 12 | #379 |
| 2014 | 17 | #291 |
| 2013 | 12 | #376 |
| 2012 | 15 | #338 |
| 2011 | 9 | #470 |
| 2010 | 12 | #396 |
| 2009 | 6 | #583 |
| 2008 | 8 | #504 |
| 2007 | 4 | #704 |
| 2006 | 6 | #503 |
| 2005 | 4 | #588 |
| 2003 | 6 | #439 |
| 2002 | 3 | #620 |
| 2001 | 4 | #498 |
| 2000 | 7 | #353 |
| 1998 | 3 | #499 |
| 1996 | 3 | #534 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Kitty mean?
A pet form of Katherine or Caitlín
English, a pet form of Katherine, long used in Ireland for Caitlín too.
Say it right
KITee
The story of Kitty
Kitty is an old pet form of Katherine, made by clipping the name and adding the small ending -y. In Ireland it was also a common pet form of Caitlín and Kathleen. For a long time it was a nickname rather than a name on a birth certificate.
Two women from Irish history carried it. Katharine O’Shea, known as Kitty, was the partner and later the wife of Charles Stewart Parnell. Kitty Kiernan was engaged to Michael Collins at the time of his death in 1922.
As a registered first name Kitty is quite new. It first appears in the CSO records in 1996, and it has grown slowly since. Its best year so far was 2020, when 19 girls were named Kitty and it reached number 231.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Kitty (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Kitty (given name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Kitty | 14 | 261 |
In Northern Ireland
Not in the 2025 list. Best rank #282 (2009); 34 babies since 2004.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.