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Home › Baby Names Directory › Catalaya

Catalaya

♀ Girl

Pronounced kat-ə-LAY-ə /ˌkæt.əˈleɪ.ə/High

Meaning: Variant of Cataleya, from Cattleya, the orchid genus named for English horticulturist William CattleyHigh

In 30 seconds: An orchid by another spelling: Catalaya reworks Cataleya, the flower name an action movie turned into a baby name. Hothouse-lush and Hollywood-born.
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Origin HighAmerican, Spanish
MeaningVariant of Cataleya, from Cattleya, the orchid genus named for English horticulturist William Cattley
U.S. rank (2025)#3532 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births43 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2014
Total births (all-time)≈ 710

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 201420122025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Catalaya is a spelling variant of Cataleya, drawn from Cattleya, the showy tropical orchid genus that botanist John Lindley named in the 1820s for collector William Cattley. The cattleya is Colombia's national flower, which is why the film Colombiana (2011) chose it — and the heroine Cataleya Restrepo — launching the name's real-world career.

The name spread fastest in Latino communities and remains young and rare in all spellings, with Cataleya leading and Catalaya, Kataleya, and Catalia trailing. Few names can date their birth to a single film release this precisely.

Did you know? The 2011 film Colombiana made its assassin heroine's calling card a cattleya orchid — and sent the flower's name, respelled Cataleya, straight onto birth certificates.
Overall data confidence 85%
Behind the Name — Cataleya — film origin and orchid etymology

Variations

CataleyaKataleyaCatleya

Nicknames

CataLaya

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Catalaya…

Cataleya— the standard spelling from the film Colombiana
Catalina— the classic Spanish name sharing its opening
Dahlia— a fellow botanist-honoring flower name
Azalea— another lush bloom name of the modern wave

Explore names like Catalaya

By thememodernpop-cultureflower
By meaningFlower

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Catalaya mean?

Catalaya is a variant of Cataleya, from the cattleya orchid — a flower genus named for horticulturist William Cattley.

How do you pronounce Catalaya?

It's said kat-ə-LAY-ə /ˌkæt.əˈleɪ.ə/ — four syllables, stress on the third.

Is Catalaya a boy or girl name?

Catalaya is a girl's name.

How popular is Catalaya?

Catalaya is a rare spelling in the U.S.; Cataleya is the more common form of this young flower name.

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