Kate
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Kate
Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong, classic stand-alone name.
Deriving from the classic Katherine, Kate has been used since the Middle Ages. It might have emerged from one of the possible Greek origins of the name, Aikaterine, to get that longer 'A' sound.
Kate has an image that's independent, smart, and energetic, recalling Kate Hepburn, the heroine of The Taming of the Shrew/Kiss Me Kate, and contemporary Kates: Winslet, Hudson, Moss, Spade and Beckinsale. Cate Blanchett has helped popularize an alternative spelling of the name, while Kate Sheppard was a prominent member of the New Zealand suffrage movement and played a key role in making New Zealand the first country to allow women to vote in parliamentary elections.
Kate is also the female equivalent of Jack as a favorite character name in the movies, TV, and books. It's down-to-earth yet classy, common yet cool.
Kate has always been, and remains, mega popular in Ireland, where it ranks in the Top 100, and more recently, it has found favor in Latvia and The Netherlands. Elsewhere, however, it has declined in use since its moment in the 90s and 2000s. In England and Wales, Kitty, Katie, and Caitlyn are now preferred, while Kate is out of the Top 1000. In the US, it was still given to around 570 girls in a recent year, but is on a downward trend.
Kate is also given to boys.
Pronounced KAYT.
As of October 2026, Kate ranked #522 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #79 in 1880, Nameberry popularity #234.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #208 | 1,620 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #222 | 1,477 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #234 | 1,389 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #274 | 1,170 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #285 | 1,163 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #324 | 989 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #411 | 765 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #414 | 758 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #455 | 695 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #478 | 640 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #535 | 569 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #522 | 576 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Kate for girls
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Kate.
Kate on lists
Famous Kates
- Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" MiddletonGirl
Duchess of Cambridge
- Kate Elizabeth WinsletGirl
English actress
- Catherine Ann "Kate" BosworthGirl
American actress
- Kathrin Romary "Kate" BeckinsaleGirl
English actress
- Katherine Kiernan Maria "Kate" MulgrewGirl
American actress
- Catherine "Kate" BushGirl
English singer,songwriter
- Kathleen "Kate" CapshawGirl
American actress
- Kate CaryGirl
English novelist
- Kate ElliottGirl
pen name of American novelist Alis A. Rasmussen
- Katherine "Kate" ChopinGirl
American author
- Kate Wolf (born Kathryn Louise Allen) American singerGirl
songwriter
- Katrina Elizabeth "Kate" DiCamilloGirl
American children's novelist
- Katie Irene "Kate" GosselinGirl
American TV personality
- Kate Garry HudsonGirl
American actress
- Kate Rooney MaraGirl
American actress; sister of Rooney Mara
- Kathleen Mary Louise "Kate" O'BrienGirl
Irish novelist
- Kate O'TooleGirl
Irish actress
- Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" PiersonGirl
American singer
- Katherine Noel "Kate" SpadeGirl
American fashion designer
- Kate Victoria "KT" TunstallGirl
Scottish singer,songwriter
- Katherine Elizabeth "Kate" UptonGirl
American supermodel
- Kate MicucciGirl
American singer, songwriter, and actress
- Kate AtkinsonGirl
English novlist
- Kathleen Erin "Kate" WalshGirl
American actress
- Kathryn "Kate" McKinnonGirl
American actress and comedian
- Kate MossGirl
English supermodel
- Katrien "Kate" RyanGirl
Belgian singer
- Kate Anna RusbyGirl
English singer,songwriter
- Kate Tsui (TszGirl
shan), Hong Kong actress; Miss Hong Kong 2004
- Kate ToddGirl
Canadian actress and singer
- Kate TaylorGirl
American singer
- Katherine Patricia "Kate" FlanneryGirl
American actress
- Kate Marie NashGirl
English singer,songwriter
- Kathryn "Kate" SmithGirl
American singer
- Kate Lauren FrenchGirl
American actress
- Kate del CastilloGirl
Mexican Actress
- Kate VernonGirl
Canadian actress
- Kate LeveringGirl
American actress
- Kate Lynn NautaGirl
American model and actress
- Patricia Colleen "Kate" NelliganGirl
Canadian actress
- Kate ZambrenoGirl
American novelist
- Kate Marie ZieglerGirl
American swimmer
- Kate Elizabeth VoegeleGirl
American singer
- Kate JenkinsonGirl
Australian actress
- Kate EarlGirl
American singer
- Kate IsittGirl
English actress
- Kate O'HearnGirl
Canadian novelist
- Kate AshfieldGirl
British actress
- Kate O'Mara (born Frances Meredith Carroll)Girl
English actress
- Kate WhiteGirl
American editor and novelist
- Kate Elizabeth HansenGirl
American luger
- (Lucy) Kate JacksonGirl
American actress
- Elli Kate NorkettGirl
Welsh Rugby player
- Kate Griffiths (b. 2012)Girl
daughter of YouTube vloggers Beau & Emily Griffiths from the channel A Griffiths Life Vlogs
Kate in pop culture
- Katherina "Kate" MinolaGirl
main character in Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew"
- 'Kiss Me Kate'Girl
musical by Cole Porter based on "The Taming of the Shrew"
- Kate LloydGirl
character in "The Thing" series
- Katherine "Kate" AustenGirl
main character on TV's "Lost"
- Kate WetherallGirl
character in "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
- Kate/KatarineGirl
character in book series "The City of Flamespell"
- Kate "Puck" ConnollyGirl
character in "The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater
- KateGirl
text editor for KDE software
- Kate GordonGirl
character in "The Basic Eight" by Daniel Handler
- Kate RandallGirl
character on TV's "Pretty Little Liars"
- Kate PearsonGirl
character on TV's "This Is Us"
- Kate DanielsGirl
title character in book series by Ilona Andrews
- Kate BettanyGirl
main character on British TV's 'Bedlam'
- Kate LockleyGirl
a minor character on TV's 'Angel'
- KateGirl
character in James Patterson's Maximum Ride
- "Kissing KateGirl
" novel by Lauren Myracle
- Katherine "Kate" KavanaghGirl
minor character in '50 Shades of Grey'
- Katherine "Kate" FitzgeraldGirl
character in Jodi Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper"
- Caitlin "Kate" ToddGirl
character on TV's "NCIS"
- Kate MonsterGirl
character in musical 'Avenue Q'
- Katherine "Kissin' Kate" BarlowGirl
character in Louis Sachar's "Holes"
- Katherine "Kate" BeckettGirl
character on TV's 'Castle'
- Kate Bishop aka HawkeyeGirl
Marvel comics character
- Kate CurtisGirl
character in movie "2012"
- Kate MoreauGirl
character on TV's "White Collar"
- Kate ReedGirl
character on TV's "Fairly Legal"
- Kate MorettiGirl
character on TV's "Perception"
- Kate CallahanGirl
character on TV's "Criminal Minds"
- Kate WatzenGirl
main character in Shelly Jarvis' "The Dreamwalker."
- Kate FlemingGirl
character on British TV series "Line of Duty"
- Kate aka OffredGirl
character in film version of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"
- "Kate Is Great"Girl
song by Bouncing Souls
- "KateGirl
" song by Ben Folds Five
- "Kate CrackernutsGirl
" English fairy tale and its main character
- "KateGirl
" novel by Valerie Sherrard
- Katherine "Kate" SandersGirl
character in TV series "Lizzie McGuire"
- Kate Beverly MarshGirl
character in video game "Life Is Strange"
- Kate HarkerGirl
main character in Monsters of Verity by Victoria Schwab
- Kate McRearyGirl
character in the video game "Grand Theft Auto 4"
- Kate (The Chaser)Girl
a character from Slender: The Arrival
- Kate Carter Girl
Character in "Twisters"