Fun Facts About the Name Kate
- More than 86 thousand babies named Kate: U.S. records list 86,076 babies given the name Kate from 1880 through 2025. Even 89 boys received the name Kate - about 1 boy for every 966 girls.
What Does the Name Kate Mean?
Kate is an English short form of Katherine, also spelled Catherine. Its customary meaning, "pure," comes from a traditional connection between Katherine and the Greek word katharos ("pure"). That connection is usually understood as folk etymology rather than a securely established derivation: the older Greek name Aikaterine has no certain origin, and competing suggestions include a link to hekateros ("each of the two") or to the goddess Hecate. Kate does not have a separate root of its own; it is a diminutive of Katherine, not a name formed from an independent word.
Kate Name History & Origins
The parent name Katherine reached medieval England through Latin Catharina and Old French Catherine. Devotion to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a legendary fourth-century martyr, helped make the name common across Europe. English speakers formed many shortened forms from it, including Kate, Kit, Kitty, and Kay. Kate appears in later medieval and early modern English as a familiar form of Katherine.
In literature, Kate is the familiar name used for Katherine in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, written around 1590. Shakespeare's play reflects an existing nickname rather than creating it. From the seventeenth century onward, Kate also appears as an independent given name in English-speaking countries, while remaining closely associated with Katherine.
How Popular is the Name Kate?
Kate recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2007. The name enjoyed early prominence in the late 19th century before its sustained modern rise.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #522 | 576 | 0.0358% |
| 2024 | #535 | 569 | 0.0353% |
| 2023 | #478 | 640 | 0.0399% |
| 2022 | #455 | 695 | 0.0424% |
| 2021 | #414 | 758 | 0.0462% |
| 2020 | #411 | 765 | 0.0474% |
| 2019 | #324 | 989 | 0.0590% |
| 2018 | #285 | 1,163 | 0.0684% |
| 2017 | #274 | 1,170 | 0.0678% |
| 2016 | #234 | 1,389 | 0.0784% |
| 2015 | #222 | 1,477 | 0.0828% |
| 2014 | #208 | 1,620 | 0.0907% |
| 2013 | #185 | 1,738 | 0.0991% |
| 2012 | #192 | 1,643 | 0.0933% |
| 2011 | #175 | 1,791 | 0.1018% |
| 2010 | #208 | 1,490 | 0.0838% |
| 2009 | #159 | 1,989 | 0.1083% |
| 2008 | #139 | 2,421 | 0.1280% |
| 2007 | #136 | 2,550 | 0.1326% |
| 2006 | #142 | 2,441 | 0.1284% |
| 2005 | #141 | 2,404 | 0.1301% |
| 2004 | #147 | 2,218 | 0.1208% |
| 2003 | #161 | 2,055 | 0.1125% |
| 2002 | #193 | 1,667 | 0.0928% |
| 2001 | #200 | 1,626 | 0.0903% |
| 2000 | #225 | 1,397 | 0.0769% |
| 1999 | #229 | 1,400 | 0.0789% |
| 1998 | #272 | 1,139 | 0.0645% |
| 1997 | #323 | 894 | 0.0514% |
| 1996 | #344 | 811 | 0.0463% |
| 1995 | #364 | 718 | 0.0408% |
| 1994 | #351 | 752 | 0.0421% |
| 1993 | #335 | 785 | 0.0434% |
| 1992 | #324 | 839 | 0.0455% |
| 1991 | #288 | 979 | 0.0522% |
| 1990 | #270 | 1,038 | 0.0547% |
| 1989 | #249 | 1,080 | 0.0586% |
| 1988 | #230 | 1,153 | 0.0647% |
| 1987 | #191 | 1,449 | 0.0833% |
| 1986 | #186 | 1,443 | 0.0841% |
| 1985 | #179 | 1,491 | 0.0866% |
| 1984 | #178 | 1,553 | 0.0922% |
| 1983 | #199 | 1,334 | 0.0798% |
| 1982 | #202 | 1,341 | 0.0792% |
| 1981 | #192 | 1,396 | 0.0837% |
| 1980 | #197 | 1,329 | 0.0800% |
| 1979 | #208 | 1,260 | 0.0785% |
| 1978 | #243 | 998 | 0.0651% |
| 1977 | #290 | 828 | 0.0540% |
| 1976 | #388 | 530 | 0.0362% |
| 1975 | #423 | 477 | 0.0327% |
| 1974 | #500 | 352 | 0.0240% |
| 1973 | #579 | 275 | 0.0189% |
| 1972 | #611 | 257 | 0.0169% |
| 1971 | #681 | 226 | 0.0136% |
| 1970 | #597 | 294 | 0.0168% |
| 1969 | #663 | 224 | 0.0133% |
| 1968 | #692 | 196 | 0.0119% |
| 1967 | #751 | 172 | 0.0104% |
| 1966 | #738 | 179 | 0.0106% |
| 1965 | #688 | 204 | 0.0116% |
| 1964 | #713 | 211 | 0.0111% |
| 1963 | #707 | 207 | 0.0107% |
| 1962 | #698 | 218 | 0.0111% |
| 1961 | #706 | 220 | 0.0109% |
| 1960 | #708 | 207 | 0.0102% |
| 1959 | #775 | 173 | 0.0085% |
| 1958 | #807 | 156 | 0.0078% |
| 1957 | #791 | 163 | 0.0080% |
| 1956 | #970 | 108 | 0.0054% |
| 1955 | #886 | 121 | 0.0062% |
| 1954 | #966 | 101 | 0.0052% |
| 1953 | #867 | 117 | 0.0062% |
| 1952 | #923 | 101 | 0.0054% |
| 1951 | #848 | 112 | 0.0062% |
| 1950 | #857 | 107 | 0.0062% |
| 1949 | #839 | 111 | 0.0065% |
| 1948 | #839 | 109 | 0.0064% |
| 1947 | #792 | 120 | 0.0068% |
| 1946 | #883 | 89 | 0.0057% |
| 1945 | #864 | 76 | 0.0058% |
| 1944 | #810 | 89 | 0.0067% |
| 1943 | #771 | 102 | 0.0073% |
| 1942 | #755 | 101 | 0.0075% |
| 1941 | #672 | 111 | 0.0092% |
| 1940 | #718 | 94 | 0.0082% |
| 1939 | #656 | 107 | 0.0098% |
| 1938 | #706 | 95 | 0.0086% |
| 1937 | #757 | 81 | 0.0076% |
| 1936 | #685 | 95 | 0.0091% |
| 1935 | #636 | 105 | 0.0100% |
| 1934 | #692 | 94 | 0.0090% |
| 1933 | #715 | 83 | 0.0082% |
| 1932 | #689 | 97 | 0.0091% |
| 1931 | #671 | 99 | 0.0093% |
| 1930 | #652 | 111 | 0.0099% |
| 1929 | #624 | 122 | 0.0109% |
| 1928 | #616 | 131 | 0.0114% |
| 1927 | #578 | 151 | 0.0127% |
| 1926 | #548 | 164 | 0.0138% |
| 1925 | #544 | 173 | 0.0142% |
| 1924 | #468 | 222 | 0.0178% |
| 1923 | #458 | 225 | 0.0187% |
| 1922 | #444 | 234 | 0.0195% |
| 1921 | #398 | 289 | 0.0234% |
| 1920 | #415 | 255 | 0.0213% |
| 1919 | #368 | 309 | 0.0273% |
| 1918 | #378 | 302 | 0.0261% |
| 1917 | #351 | 322 | 0.0298% |
| 1916 | #346 | 318 | 0.0305% |
| 1915 | #326 | 339 | 0.0345% |
| 1914 | #297 | 311 | 0.0408% |
| 1913 | #298 | 257 | 0.0411% |
| 1912 | #281 | 260 | 0.0466% |
| 1911 | #264 | 216 | 0.0516% |
| 1910 | #271 | 206 | 0.0520% |
| 1909 | #265 | 183 | 0.0527% |
| 1908 | #251 | 191 | 0.0571% |
| 1907 | #255 | 184 | 0.0578% |
| 1906 | #223 | 196 | 0.0664% |
| 1905 | #234 | 183 | 0.0628% |
| 1904 | #207 | 213 | 0.0774% |
| 1903 | #209 | 202 | 0.0771% |
| 1902 | #200 | 213 | 0.0807% |
| 1901 | #204 | 196 | 0.0819% |
| 1900 | #180 | 297 | 0.0991% |
| 1899 | #188 | 219 | 0.0940% |
| 1898 | #169 | 297 | 0.1148% |
| 1897 | #167 | 267 | 0.1140% |
| 1896 | #154 | 303 | 0.1274% |
| 1895 | #162 | 262 | 0.1121% |
| 1894 | #133 | 328 | 0.1471% |
| 1893 | #132 | 323 | 0.1517% |
| 1892 | #126 | 345 | 0.1625% |
| 1891 | #127 | 305 | 0.1644% |
| 1890 | #116 | 352 | 0.1849% |
| 1889 | #105 | 362 | 0.2030% |
| 1888 | #107 | 360 | 0.2015% |
| 1887 | #102 | 331 | 0.2267% |
| 1886 | #100 | 335 | 0.2318% |
| 1885 | #97 | 309 | 0.2322% |
| 1884 | #87 | 344 | 0.2666% |
| 1883 | #90 | 294 | 0.2617% |
| 1882 | #87 | 293 | 0.2717% |
| 1881 | #86 | 267 | 0.2904% |
| 1880 | #79 | 299 | 0.3286% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #12,401 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #7,877 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #8,766 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #5,008 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #7,571 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #4,005 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #6,173 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #6,841 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,784 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #4,734 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #4,634 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1915 | #4,113 | 5 | 0.0006% |
| 1902 | #1,228 | 5 | 0.0041% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
