Kate

Did you know?

A few things about Kate you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Kate

Kate Hudson

American actress and singer (born 1979)

Choose Kate and your child shares a first name with Kate Hudson, an American actress and singer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Kate, like who?” Kate Hudson's Wikipedia article is available in 86 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Kate Hudson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,790 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Kate, 576 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Kate would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryKate has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Kates, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1880, when it ranked #79. Today it's #520, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowKate was 2.1× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,300 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 2,790.
• 🍂TrendKate has slipped 109 places over the last five years and now sits at #520. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedKate is most popular in North Dakota, where it ranks #117, followed by Utah (#162) and Idaho (#193). It's in the top 1,000 in 32 states.
• 💬MeaningKate is an English form of Katherine, which means “pure”. Our records link it to English and Greek roots.

About the name Kate

Kate is a girl name of English and Greek origin meaning “pure”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with K and ending in “-ate”. US birth records list Kate for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked #79 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #520, with 576 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek names