Kate

Meaning: Possibly each of the two; popularly linked to pure
Origin: Variant of Katherine · Greek; etymology debated (from Greek)

Girl's name · #522 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Popularity over time

Kate is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1880, when it ranked #79. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 86,000 girls since 1880, ranked #522 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Kate is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 39 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Kate ranks in other countries and regions.

#53 in Ireland (2025) · #163 in Netherlands (2025) · #201 in N. Ireland (2025) · #509 in Scotland (2025) · #642 in Austria (2025) · #842 in Switzerland (2025) · #885 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,096 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,200 in Sweden (2025) · #1,621 in France (2025) · #435 in Canada (2024).

Famous Kates

Kate Winslet — English actress (born 1975)
Kate Hudson — American actress and singer (born 1979)
Kate Beckinsale — English actress (born 1973)
Kate Bush — English singer, pianist and songwriter (born 1958)
Kate Moss — English model and businesswoman

In stories & tradition

Kate Austen — Lost (TV series)
Kate (Hawkeye) — Young Avengers (comics)
Kate Kane — Detective Comics (comics)

What Kates become

Among 2,236 notable people named Kate:

Entertainers appear 1.69× more often than among typical names — e.g. Kate Winslet, English actress (born 1975).

Similar names: Katherine · Martha · Callie · Tate · Helen · Kara

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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