Fun Facts About the Name Cataleia
- 184 babies named Cataleia: U.S. records list 184 babies given the name Cataleia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Cataleia Mean?
Cataleia is a rare given name, and no well-documented etymology specific to this spelling is available. Its form closely matches Cataleya, a name used in Latin America and the United States, which is generally understood as a variant of Cattleya, the orchid genus. That genus was named by the botanist John Lindley in the 1820s for William Cattley, an English grower who flowered one of the plants. If Cataleia belongs to that family of spellings, its meaning is not a translation of any word but an eponym: a given name taken from a person's surname. Because the connection to Cattleya rests on resemblance rather than documented derivation, the meaning is best described as uncertain.
Cataleia Name History & Origins
Orchids of the genus Cattleya are native to Central and South America and reached European horticulture in the early nineteenth century. William Cattley flowered a specimen in 1818, and John Lindley published the genus name in 1824. From the genus came the given name Cattleya and, later, the spelling Cataleya, used chiefly in the Americas. Cataleya became familiar internationally through the 2011 film Colombiana, whose main character bears the name; that film is a notable later use rather than evidence of the name's origin. Cataleia is a rare respelling within the same group of orchid-derived names.
Documentation for the spelling Cataleia specifically is scarce, and no historical bearers or earlier forms of this exact spelling are known from the material available. Its development as a distinct spelling therefore cannot be traced separately from the broader modern use of orchid-inspired names in the Americas.
How Popular is the Name Cataleia?
Cataleia has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2021. Its best rank was #5,790 in 2021.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,958 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #6,193 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #5,999 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #6,031 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2021 | #5,790 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2020 | #8,060 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #10,643 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #6,857 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #8,375 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #12,005 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #12,059 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #17,087 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #17,063 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #15,350 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Cataleia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are cheerful and friendly, but are apt to have an emotional life. You like to have several lines of effort going at once. You are a good talker and promoter and seldom worry over anything. At times, you can be impatient, and impulsive. You have the ability to bring an idea to completion. You can express yourself joyously and constructively. You might be psychic, but not know it. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Cataleia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Cataleia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.