Girl's name
Kate
Say it KAYT
English origin from Catherine, possibly each of the two
1 syllable
Where Kate is loved, common and rare
Common across Ireland and one more place. Rare in the Netherlands, the UK, Canada and six more places.
1 in 225 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Ireland 52ndThe Netherlands 163rdNorthern Ireland 191st
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 15 of the 40 official lists, among them Ireland (52nd), the Netherlands (163rd) and Northern Ireland (191st).
Show all 15 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 52nd 2025 | 94 | 1 in 225 |
| The Netherlands | 163rd 2025 | 93 | about 1 in 656 |
| Northern Ireland | 191st 2025 | 9 | 1 in 810 |
| Quebec province | 412th 2025 | 12 | about 1 in 2,167 |
| Scotland | 474th 2025 | 6 | 1 in 2,982 |
| British Columbia province | 516th 2023 | 6 | about 1 in 1,993 |
| Ontario province | 542nd 2024 | 23 | about 1 in 2,368 |
| Austria | 620th 2025 | 7 | 1 in 5,103 |
| Cologne city | 630th 2023 | 1 | about 1 in 6,143 |
| Italy | 648th 2024 | 17 | 1 in 10,539 |
| Switzerland | 788th 2025 | 7 | 1 in 4,856 |
| Berlin city | 937th 2023 | 2 | about 1 in 7,252 |
| England and Wales | 1079th 2025 | 31 | 1 in 8,170 |
| France | 1480th 2025 | 20 | 1 in 14,340 |
| Rostock city | 92nd 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 492 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Munich, Bonn, Leipzig, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock). How we count, and every source
About the name
As the classic English short form of Catherine, Kate takes its meaning from that longer name, which is possibly from the Greek for 'each of the two'. The origins of Catherine are debated, so the 'possibly' matters. Saint Catherine of Alexandria is the best-known early bearer.
Read the restShow less
It is one syllable, said KAYT, with a crisp, clear sound. Katie is a softer form. Käte is a German spelling, and Katherine, Katarina, Katharina and Caterina are the long forms used across Europe.
Ireland is where it is most popular today, a top-60 name, and it is also used in Northern Ireland and Quebec. Canadian records place its peak around 2006, and it is now declining in many regions, which keeps it familiar without being at the height of fashion.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- KAYT, 1 syllable
- Meaning
- from Catherine,
possibly each of the two
- Origin
- English
- Other spellings
- Caterina
- Katie
- Katrin
- Katarina
- Katharina
- Ekaterina
- Katarzyna
- Katja
- Karin
- Catherine
- Catalina
- Katherine
- Ceit
- Ceiteag
- Ceitidh
- Ekaterine
- Kathy
- Katy
- Catharine
- Katrina
- Cathryn
- Katrijn
- Jekaterina
Counted together here: Käte.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 2 of 11 regions, falling in 8.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 452 | 491 | 596 | 609 | 771 | 734 | 775 | 1108 | 1302 | 1079 |
| Scotland | 276 | 201 | 255 | 304 | 313 | 363 | 380 | 749 | 541 | 474 |
| Northern Ireland | 92 | 122 | 101 | 81 | 71 | 108 | 103 | 126 | 134 | 191 |
| Ireland | 14 | 16 | 17 | 24 | 23 | 28 | 36 | 38 | 47 | 52 |
| Ontario | 146 | 149 | 156 | 186 | 297 | 268 | 407 | 429 | 542 | |
| British Columbia | 78 | 140 | 143 | 199 | 322 | 446 | 316 | 516 | ||
| South Australia | 163 | 223 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 118 | 183 | 130 | 207 | 221 | 254 | 291 | 242 | 412 | 412 |
| France | 992 | 1041 | 1024 | 1227 | 1633 | 1221 | 1224 | 1303 | 1292 | 1480 |
| The Netherlands | 128 | 96 | 105 | 100 | 97 | 145 | 139 | 127 | 163 | |
| Austria | 1331 | 551 | 562 | 874 | 529 | 1876 | 584 | 580 | 872 | 620 |
| Switzerland | 1279 | 899 | 832 | 707 | 1045 | 520 | 751 | 874 | 707 | 788 |
| Berlin | 542 | 419 | 657 | 668 | 484 | 562 | 799 | 937 | ||
| Cologne | 370 | 345 | 439 | 320 | 649 | 420 | 630 | |||
| Leipzig | 149 | 406 | 405 | 389 | 215 | 357 | ||||
| Rostock | 184 | 107 | 202 | 97 | 202 | 197 | 187 | 92 | ||
| Norway | 446 | 471 | 467 | |||||||
| Sweden | 789 | |||||||||
| Italy | 552 | 465 | 684 | 1215 | 648 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1079 | 31 | 12.2 |
| 2024 | 1302 | 25 | 9.7 |
| 2023 | 1108 | 30 | 11.7 |
| 2022 | 775 | 47 | 17.8 |
| 2021 | 734 | 51 | 18.6 |
| 2020 | 771 | 47 | 17.5 |
| 2019 | 609 | 65 | 23.2 |
| 2018 | 596 | 69 | 23.9 |
| 2017 | 491 | 89 | 29.8 |
| 2016 | 452 | 97 | 31.6 |
| 2015 | 393 | 117 | 38.0 |
| 2014 | 359 | 126 | 41.1 |
| 2013 | 318 | 147 | 47.7 |
| 2012 | 290 | 165 | 51.2 |
| 2011 | 267 | 182 | 56.6 |
| 2010 | 210 | 238 | 74.1 |
| 2009 | 190 | 278 | 88.7 |
| 2008 | 160 | 331 | 104.8 |
| 2007 | 127 | 435 | 142.1 |
| 2006 | 111 | 477 | 159.4 |
| 2005 | 114 | 451 | 156.5 |
| 2004 | 92 | 569 | 199.0 |
| 2003 | 73 | 714 | 256.2 |
| 2002 | 82 | 651 | 243.5 |
| 2001 | 83 | 624 | 232.8 |
| 2000 | 74 | 688 | 251.9 |
| 1999 | 71 | 772 | 274.1 |
| 1998 | 63 | 844 | 291.9 |
| 1997 | 64 | 892 | 304.2 |
| 1996 | 59 | 1,055 | 356.4 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Kate in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2004. First recorded in 1930. Her peak year there: 2006, at 328.7 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Kate per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2006 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Kate
1 in 596 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 383 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 267 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 559 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 2,641 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 662 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 486 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 587 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 274 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Kate.
1 in 155 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Kate.
Middle names for Kate
1 in 71 in Scotland
Kate Olivia
1-4 beats · initials KO
Changes the beat after Kate: 1 syllable, then 4 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Kate Emily
1-3 beats · initials KE
Changes the beat after Kate: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Kate Sophie
1-2 beats · initials KS
Changes the beat after Kate: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Kate Anna
1-2 beats · initials KA
Changes the beat after Kate: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 154 in Ireland
Kate Emma
1-2 beats · initials KE
Changes the beat after Kate: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Kate Alice
1-2 beats · initials KA
Changes the beat after Kate: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Kate Maria
1-3 beats · initials KM
Changes the beat after Kate: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Kate Amelia
1-4 beats · initials KA
Changes the beat after Kate: 1 syllable, then 4 syllables.
Same style as Kate
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 2,429 in Northern Ireland
94% alike: moves with Kate across countries and decades.
1 in 587 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Kate across countries and decades.
1 in 919 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Kate across countries and decades.
1 in 486 in Northern Ireland
93% alike: moves with Kate across countries and decades.
1 in 480 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Kate across countries and decades.
1 in 2,641 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Kate across countries and decades.
1 in 640 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Kate across countries and decades.
1 in 596 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Kate across countries and decades.
Famous people named Kate
Kate Winslet, Kate Hudson, Kate Mara, Kate Chopin, Kate Walsh, Kate Capshaw, Kate Sheppard and Kate Mulgrew.
Show all 8Show less
-
English actress (born 1975)
-
American actress and singer (born 1979)
-
American actress (born 1983)
-
American author (1850–1904)
-
American actress born 1967
-
American actress who converted to Judaism born 1953
-
Prominent member of New Zealand's women's suffrage (1848–1934) 1847 to 1934
-
American actress born 1955
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Kate
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Kate?
Her best rank is No. 52 in Ireland in 2025, about 1 in 225 girls. She is in the published lists of 15 of our 40 regions.
What does Kate mean?
Kate takes her meaning from Catherine: "possibly each of the two", per Wiktionary.
How do you pronounce Kate?
KAYT, with 1 syllable.
Is Kate getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 2 of 11 regions, falling in 8.
Which sister names go with Kate?
The deck's top five sisters for Kate: Hope, Faith, Skye, Madison and Taylor. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.