Nameling

Kate

Gender
Girl
Say it
KAYT
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#836 for girls
US rank, 2025
#520 for girls

Big in Northern Ireland

Kate is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “associated with katharos, pure”. In 2025 it ranked 836th for girls in the UK (46 babies) and 520th for girls in the US (576 babies).

What does Kate mean?

Greek: short form of Katherine

“associated with katharos, pure”

Short form of Katherine; Kate is the heroine of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Kate a girl's or a boy's name?

Kate is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 46 girls in the UK and 576 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Kate in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#836among girls
Babies in 2025
46about 1 in 6,100 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 53% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 46 girls in the UK were named Kate, making it the 836th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 502nd. Its busiest year was 1996, with 1,120 girls.

Half of all the girls named Kate in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2007. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

Among girls in 2025, it was 1,079th in England and Wales, 474th in Scotland and 191st in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#63), 1914 (#97), 1974 (#75), 1984 (#44), 1994 (#61) and 2004 (#92).

1996Busiest: 1,120 in 19962025
Kate in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202546#836
202445#873
202349#788
202276#560
202181#549
202088#502
2019105#455
2018108#454
2017130#385
2016140#370
2015165#317
2014169#306
2013206#259
2012212#264
2011237#243
2010307#190
2009355#170
2008414#147
2007526#117
2006585#100
2005553#107
2004649#90
2003826#70
2002753#76
2001695#83
2000775#78
1999838#74
1998923#67
1997957#68
19961,120#60

How popular is Kate in the US?

Rank in 2025
#520among girls
Babies in 2025
576about 1 in 2,800 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 39% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 576 girls in the US were named Kate, making it the 520th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 411th. Its busiest year was 2007, with 2,550 girls.

Half of all the girls named Kate in the US since 1880 were born between 1977 and 2008, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 587 girls in the US were given Kate or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #517, up from #520 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 2,550 in 20072025
Kate in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025576#520
2024572#533
2023640#478
2022695#456
2021758#414
2020765#411
2019989#323
20181,163#285
20171,170#274
20161,389#234
20151,477#222
20141,620#208
20131,738#185
20121,643#192
20111,791#175
20101,490#208
20091,989#159
20082,421#139
20072,550#136
20062,441#142
20052,404#141
20042,218#147
20032,055#161
20021,667#193
20011,626#200
20001,397#225
19991,400#229
19981,139#272
1997894#323
1996811#344
1995718#364
1994752#351
1993785#335
1992839#324
1991979#288
19901,038#270
19891,080#248
19881,153#230
19871,449#191
19861,442#186
19851,491#179
19841,553#178
19831,333#199
19821,341#202
19811,397#192
19801,329#197
19791,260#208
1978998#243
1977828#290
1976530#387
1975477#422
1974352#500
1973275#578
1972257#610
1971225#682
1970294#597
1969224#662
1968195#694
1967172#750
1966179#736
1965203#690
1964211#713
1963207#707
1962218#698
1961220#706
1960208#707
1959173#773
1958156#805
1957163#789
1956108#968
1955121#882
1954101#964
1953117#866
1952101#920
1951112#845
1950107#854
1949111#834
1948109#836
1947120#790
194689#880
194576#863
194489#808
1943102#768
1942101#752
1941111#669
194094#718
1939107#655
193895#705
193781#752
193695#683
1935105#635
193494#689
193383#714
193297#688
193199#667
1930111#652
1929122#621
1928131#615
1927151#577
1926164#547
1925173#544
1924222#468
1923225#458
1922234#443
1921289#398
1920255#415
1919309#368
1918302#378
1917322#350
1916318#346
1915339#325
1914311#296
1913257#297
1912260#281
1911216#264
1910206#270
1909183#265
1908191#251
1907184#254
1906196#223
1905183#234
1904213#207
1903202#208
1902213#200
1901196#202
1900297#180
1899219#187
1898297#168
1897267#167
1896303#154
1895262#162
1894328#133
1893323#132
1892345#126
1891305#127
1890352#116
1889362#105
1888360#107
1887331#102
1886335#100
1885309#96
1884344#86
1883294#90
1882293#87
1881267#86
1880299#79

Nicknames for Kate

Names like Kate

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Zoe Sophie Grace Katie Chloe Katherine Charlotte Phoebe Emma Hannah Eve Emily

Other spellings of Kate

Cate

Names related to Kate

Katy Kati Katey Kaytee Kaytie Kayte Kattie Kathie

More Greek names

Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Margot Luke Iris Maisie Lainey Elena

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Kate: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kate, updated 20 October 2026.