catu

Catu is a toponym used in Brazil, most notably as the name of a municipality in the state of Bahia, in the northeastern region of the country. The municipality of Catu sits within Bahia’s system of coastal and inland communities and typically features an economy based on agriculture, commerce, and services common to smaller urban centers in the area.

Beyond the Bahia municipality, the name Catu appears in the names of other smaller localities and neighborhoods in Brazil, where it functions as part of place designations rather than as a single, widely known location. The term is encountered in various regional contexts and may refer to distinct geographical entities in different states.

The etymology of Catu is not definitively documented. Like many Brazilian toponyms, it is commonly believed to derive from Indigenous languages such as Tupi–Guarani, which have contributed extensively to Brazilian geographic names. In addition to its use as a place name, Catu may occasionally appear as a personal name or surname in some communities, though it is not widely common. Overall, Catu represents a short, regionally anchored geographic designation within Brazil with a primarily local significance.