Kate is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Kate means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Kate across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Kate has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Kate is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “pure”. a short form of Katherine.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 86,076 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 10,256 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,911 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 801 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 10,278 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 5,782 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Kate per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2007 (2,550/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (1,055/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2007 (426/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2003 (73/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2006 (44/yr).
Kate has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2007, when it ranked #303 nationally (given to 3,502 babies that year).
Katie · Cade · Kittie · Kade · Katy · Kati · Kit · Kattie
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