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Home › Baby Names Directory › Kattaleya

Kattaleya

♀ Girl

Pronounced kat-ah-LAY-ah /kæt.ɑˈleɪ.ɑ/High

Meaning: K-styled variant of Cataleya, from Cattleya, the orchid genus named for horticulturist William CattleyHigh

In 30 seconds: The Colombiana orchid with a K and a double-t: Kattaleya is the maximal spelling of the film-born flower name. Same bloom, bolder label.
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Origin HighAmerican, Spanish
MeaningK-styled variant of Cataleya, from Cattleya, the orchid genus named for horticulturist William Cattley
U.S. rank (2025)#4302 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births33 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2024
Total births (all-time)≈ 397

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202420122025

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

Kattaleya is a variant of Cataleya, the girls' name drawn from Cattleya, the orchid genus John Lindley named for collector William Cattley in the 1820s; the flower is Colombia's national emblem. The 2011 film Colombiana, whose heroine Cataleya leaves an orchid as her signature, moved the name from greenhouse to nursery.

The K-double-t form circulates mainly in U.S. Latino communities, the boldest of the name's many spellings. All forms remain young and rare — few names have a precise Hollywood birthday like this one.

Did you know? The orchid genus Cattleya owes its name to a happy accident — botanist William Cattley nursed a mistreated shipment of plants back to life, and the first to flower was named in his honor.
Overall data confidence 82%
Behind the Name — Cataleya — orchid and film origin

Variations

CataleyaKataleyaCatalaya

Nicknames

KattaLeya

Famous Bearers

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If you like Kattaleya…

Cataleya— the standard film-born spelling
Kataleya— the single-t K-sister
Catalina— the Spanish classic sharing its opening
Dahlia— a fellow botanist-honoring flower name

Explore names like Kattaleya

By thememodern-spellingpop-cultureflower
By meaningFlower

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Kattaleya mean?

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

How do you pronounce Kattaleya?

It's said kat-ah-LAY-ah /kæt.ɑˈleɪ.ɑ/ — four syllables, stress on the third.

Is Kattaleya a boy or girl name?

Kattaleya is a girl's name.

How popular is Kattaleya?

Kattaleya is a very rare spelling in the U.S.; Cataleya leads this young flower-name family.

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