Girl nameCurrently #535 in the USFalling
Kate
KAYT//keɪt//
1 syllablePeak year: 20074 lettersStarts with K
Meaning & origin
Pure (short form of Katherine)
Kate is a short form of Katherine, sharing its Greek root meaning pure, and has been used as a stand-alone name since medieval times. Crisp and confident, it works equally well formally or casually.
Kate's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Kate |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 299 |
| 1881 | 267 |
| 1882 | 293 |
| 1883 | 294 |
| 1884 | 344 |
| 1885 | 309 |
| 1886 | 335 |
| 1887 | 331 |
| 1888 | 360 |
| 1889 | 362 |
| 1890 | 352 |
| 1891 | 305 |
| 1892 | 345 |
| 1893 | 323 |
| 1894 | 328 |
| 1895 | 262 |
| 1896 | 303 |
| 1897 | 267 |
| 1898 | 297 |
| 1899 | 219 |
| 1900 | 297 |
| 1901 | 196 |
| 1902 | 218 |
| 1903 | 202 |
| 1904 | 213 |
| 1905 | 183 |
| 1906 | 196 |
| 1907 | 184 |
| 1908 | 191 |
| 1909 | 183 |
| 1910 | 206 |
| 1911 | 216 |
| 1912 | 260 |
| 1913 | 257 |
| 1914 | 311 |
| 1915 | 344 |
| 1916 | 318 |
| 1917 | 322 |
| 1918 | 302 |
| 1919 | 309 |
| 1920 | 255 |
| 1921 | 289 |
| 1922 | 234 |
| 1923 | 225 |
| 1924 | 222 |
| 1925 | 173 |
| 1926 | 164 |
| 1927 | 151 |
| 1928 | 131 |
| 1929 | 122 |
| 1930 | 111 |
| 1931 | 99 |
| 1932 | 97 |
| 1933 | 83 |
| 1934 | 94 |
| 1935 | 105 |
| 1936 | 95 |
| 1937 | 81 |
| 1938 | 95 |
| 1939 | 107 |
| 1940 | 94 |
| 1941 | 111 |
| 1942 | 101 |
| 1943 | 102 |
| 1944 | 89 |
| 1945 | 76 |
| 1946 | 89 |
| 1947 | 120 |
| 1948 | 109 |
| 1949 | 111 |
| 1950 | 107 |
| 1951 | 112 |
| 1952 | 101 |
| 1953 | 117 |
| 1954 | 101 |
| 1955 | 121 |
| 1956 | 108 |
| 1957 | 163 |
| 1958 | 156 |
| 1959 | 173 |
| 1960 | 207 |
| 1961 | 220 |
| 1962 | 218 |
| 1963 | 207 |
| 1964 | 211 |
| 1965 | 204 |
| 1966 | 179 |
| 1967 | 172 |
| 1968 | 196 |
| 1969 | 224 |
| 1970 | 294 |
| 1971 | 226 |
| 1972 | 257 |
| 1973 | 275 |
| 1974 | 352 |
| 1975 | 477 |
| 1976 | 530 |
| 1977 | 828 |
| 1978 | 998 |
| 1979 | 1,268 |
| 1980 | 1,337 |
| 1981 | 1,396 |
| 1982 | 1,341 |
| 1983 | 1,339 |
| 1984 | 1,558 |
| 1985 | 1,497 |
| 1986 | 1,454 |
| 1987 | 1,454 |
| 1988 | 1,153 |
| 1989 | 1,090 |
| 1990 | 1,038 |
| 1991 | 979 |
| 1992 | 839 |
| 1993 | 785 |
| 1994 | 752 |
| 1995 | 718 |
| 1996 | 811 |
| 1997 | 894 |
| 1998 | 1,139 |
| 1999 | 1,400 |
| 2000 | 1,397 |
| 2001 | 1,633 |
| 2002 | 1,667 |
| 2003 | 2,055 |
| 2004 | 2,227 |
| 2005 | 2,409 |
| 2006 | 2,441 |
| 2007 | 2,550 |
| 2008 | 2,421 |
| 2009 | 1,989 |
| 2010 | 1,490 |
| 2011 | 1,791 |
| 2012 | 1,643 |
| 2013 | 1,738 |
| 2014 | 1,620 |
| 2015 | 1,477 |
| 2016 | 1,389 |
| 2017 | 1,170 |
| 2018 | 1,163 |
| 2019 | 989 |
| 2020 | 765 |
| 2021 | 758 |
| 2022 | 695 |
| 2023 | 640 |
| 2024 | 569 |
Kate through the decades
- Kate peaked in 2007, when 2,550 babies were named Kate in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Kate has fallen 52% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Kate currently ranks #535 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Katie
Variants & spellings
CateKatrina
Famous people named Kate
- Kate Winslet — actress