girls' name ★ peaked 2007

Kate

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #522 Trend ↓ Falling 36%

A diminutive of the female given name Katherine and related names, also used as a formal given name.

Rank 2025
#522
among girls · ↑11 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
576
named Kate · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,790
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2007
2,550 babies
All-time total
86,076
#414 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Kate popularity over time

86,076 babies have been named Kate since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 3,194 – 3,194 319 – #79
1890s 3,001 – 3,001 300 -6% #116
1900s 2,058 5 2,063 206 -31% #180
1910s 2,840 5 2,845 285 +38% #264
1920s 1,966 – 1,966 197 -31% #398
1930s 967 – 967 97 -51% #636
1940s 1,002 – 1,002 100 +4% #672
1950s 1,259 – 1,259 126 +26% #775
1960s 2,037 – 2,037 204 +62% #663
1970s 5,496 8 5,504 550 +170% #208
1980s 13,568 50 13,618 1,362 +147% #178
1990s 9,355 – 9,355 936 -31% #229
2000s 20,768 21 20,789 2,079 +122% #136
2010s 14,470 – 14,470 1,447 -30% #175
2020s (to 2025) 4,006 – 4,006 668 -54% #412

Where Kate is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 533 0.33 outside top 500
2027 499 0.31 outside top 500
2028 472 0.29 outside top 500
2029 450 0.28 outside top 500
2030 432 0.27 outside top 500

Where Kate is most popular

Girls named Kate per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.399 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, North Dakota, and Louisiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Kate born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 144 1.73 +333%
North Dakota 20 1.52 +281%
Louisiana 105 1.20 +200%
South Dakota 17 1.19 +198%
Idaho 36 1.08 +169%
Iowa 57 0.975 +144%
Arkansas 49 0.927 +132%
Nebraska 29 0.807 +102%
Kansas 45 0.780 +95%
Oklahoma 57 0.774 +94%
Indiana 95 0.677 +69%
Minnesota 72 0.667 +67%
Missouri 77 0.639 +60%
Alaska 5 0.581 +45%
Texas 439 0.546 +37%
Mississippi 25 0.534 +34%
Tennessee 83 0.524 +31%
Ohio 118 0.497 +24%
Kentucky 42 0.491 +23%
Wisconsin 49 0.476 +19%
Michigan 85 0.467 +17%
Connecticut 26 0.447 +12%
Alabama 41 0.437 +9%
Washington 63 0.436 +9%
South Carolina 38 0.423 +6%
Virginia 72 0.422 +6%
Illinois 96 0.419 +5%
Georgia 94 0.414 ≈ national
Massachusetts 50 0.414 ≈ national
Colorado 45 0.403 ≈ national
North Carolina 91 0.400 ≈ national
Florida 171 0.400 ≈ national
Arizona 54 0.385 ≈ national
Montana 5 0.369 -8%
California 304 0.362 -9%
New York 138 0.348 -13%
Pennsylvania 73 0.309 -23%
Maryland 32 0.302 -24%
New Jersey 44 0.244 -39%
Nevada 11 0.237 -41%
West Virginia 6 0.229 -43%
Oregon 13 0.200 -50%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kate

Kate is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #522 in 2025 with 576 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 86,076 American babies have been named Kate. Its peak came in 2007, when 2,550 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kate stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kate?

The median living Kate is about 23 years old; half are between 15 and 39. An estimated 71 thousand people named Kate are alive in the United States today.

median 23 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kate year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 576 #522 – –
2024 572 #533 – –
2023 640 #480 – –
2022 695 #456 – –
2021 758 #415 – –
2020 765 #412 – –
2019 989 #324 – –
2018 1,163 #285 – –
2017 1,170 #274 – –
2016 1,389 #234 – –
2015 1,477 #222 – –
2014 1,620 #208 – –
2013 1,738 #185 – –
2012 1,643 #192 – –
2011 1,791 #175 – –
2010 1,490 #208 – –
2009 1,989 #159 – –
2008 2,421 #139 – –
2007 2,550 #136 – –
2006 2,441 #142 – –
2005 2,404 #141 5 #12,402
2004 2,218 #147 9 #7,879
2003 2,055 #161 – –
2002 1,667 #193 – –
2001 1,626 #200 7 #8,767
2000 1,397 #225 – –
1995 718 #364 – –
1990 1,038 #270 – –
1985 1,491 #179 6 #6,172
1980 1,329 #197 8 #4,733
1975 477 #423 – –
1970 294 #598 – –
1965 203 #690 – –
1960 208 #708 – –
1955 121 #886 – –
1950 107 #857 – –
1945 76 #864 – –
1940 94 #718 – –
1935 105 #636 – –
1930 111 #652 – –
1925 173 #544 – –
1920 255 #415 – –
1915 339 #326 5 #4,113
1910 206 #271 – –
1905 183 #234 – –
1900 297 #180 – –
1895 262 #162 – –
1890 352 #116 – –
1885 309 #97 – –
1880 299 #79 – –

Famous people named Kate

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Kate Hudson Kate Hudson American actress and singer (born 1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kate Winslet Kate Winslet English actress (born 1975) Contemporary
  3. 3 Kate Mara Kate Mara American actress (born 1983) Contemporary
  4. 4 Kate Beckinsale Kate Beckinsale English actress (born 1973) Contemporary
  5. 5 Kate Bush Kate Bush English singer-songwriter (born 1958) Contemporary
  6. 6 Kate McKinnon Kate McKinnon American actress and comedian (born 1984) Contemporary
  7. 7 Kate Bosworth Kate Bosworth American actress (born 1983) Contemporary
  8. 8 Kate Capshaw Kate Capshaw American actress b. 1953 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Kate Spade Kate Spade American fashion designer (1962–2018) Contemporary
  10. 10 Kate Upton Kate Upton American model and actress (born 1992) Contemporary
  11. 11 Kate Moss Kate Moss English model and businesswoman (born 1974) Contemporary
  12. 12 Kate Jackson Kate Jackson American actress (born 1948) Contemporary
  13. 13 Kate Burton Kate Burton British and American actress (born 1957) Contemporary
  14. 14 Kate Walsh Kate Walsh American actress (born 1967) Contemporary
  15. 15 Kate Mulgrew Kate Mulgrew American actress and author (born 1955) Contemporary
  16. 16 Kate Pierson Kate Pierson American singer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist (b. 1948) Contemporary
  17. 17 Kate del Castillo Kate del Castillo Mexican and American actress (born 1972) Contemporary
  18. 18 Kate Nelligan Kate Nelligan Canadian actress (born 1950) Contemporary
  19. 19 Kate O'Mara Kate O'Mara English actress (1939–2014) Contemporary
  20. 20 Kate Smith Kate Smith American contralto (1907–1986) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kate, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kate?

The median living Kate is about 23 years old. Half of all living Kates are between 15 and 39 years old.

How many people named Kate are alive today?

An estimated 71 thousand people named Kate are alive in the United States, based on 86,076 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kate mean?

A diminutive of the female given name Katherine and related names, also used as a formal given name.

How popular is the name Kate in 2025?

Kate ranked #522 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 576 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kate?

86,076 babies have been named Kate in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kate most popular?

Kate peaked in 2007, when 2,550 newborns received the name.

Is Kate a boy or girl name?

Kate is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kate rising or falling?

Kate is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kate become more popular?

Kate is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 432 girls named Kate in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kate?

Well-known people named Kate include Kate Hudson (actor), Kate Winslet (actor), Kate Mara (actor).

Names like Kate

Names that sound and feel close to Kate: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kate with similar names → More names starting with K →