Date
Meaning & History
Derived from the Mongolian word khitan via its variant form cat(h)ai - the meaning is uncertain, but it refers to the Khitan people. Cathay is the anglicized form of cat(h)ai, and was the archaic name for China. There is also an other possible etymology for this name, which is completely different than the aforementioned and only applies to female bearers of this name living in an English-speaking country: in their case, Cathay may be a variant of CATHY.