A diminutive of the female given names Katherine, Kathleen, and related names; also used as a formal given name.
"Kathy smiled warmly at her friends, embracing both her traditional roots and her modern identity as a standalone first name."
Kathy is a feminine form of the name Kathy that emerged by adding the suffix "-y" to the root Kath. This construction follows the common pattern used in English to create affectionate or informal variations of names.