Girls' name · peaked in 1880
Kate name popularity since 1925
73,748 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Kate. Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Kate is about 25 years old in 2026. Kate peaked in 1880 as the #79 name for girls, and it ranked #522 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 73,748
- Named Kate, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1880
- #79 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #522
- for girls in 2025 (576 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% girls
- 73,669 girls · 79 boys
- Most popular in
- Utah
- 3.63× its national share
Peak year is the year Kate made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Kate births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2007. Measured as a share of all babies, Kate peaked earlier, in 1880.
- Fastest rise: Between 1973 and 1978, Kate became 3.5× more common, from 1 in 5,300 baby girls to 1 in 1,530.
- Steepest fall: Between 1987 and 1992, its share of baby girls fell by 45%, from 1 in 1,200 to 1 in 2,200.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Kate's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Kate.
Decade by decade
Babies named Kate in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 741 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 967 | 0 | #636 |
| 1940s | 1,002 | 0 | #864 |
| 1950s | 1,259 | 0 | #886 |
| 1960s | 2,037 | 0 | #690 |
| 1970s | 5,496 | 8 | #423 |
| 1980s | 13,568 | 50 | #179 |
| 1990s | 9,355 | 0 | #364 |
| 2000s | 20,768 | 21 | #141 |
| 2010s | 14,470 | 0 | #222 |
| 2020–25 | 4,006 | 0 | #522 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
39.5% of babies named Kate from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Kate is most popular
The index compares Kate's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Kate.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 3.63× | 2,185 |
| New Hampshire | 2.07× | 460 |
| Connecticut | 1.78× | 1,367 |
| Massachusetts | 1.76× | 2,960 |
| Idaho | 1.69× | 476 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Kate and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Kate (this page) | 73,669 | 1880 |
| Cate | 1,789 | 2008 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Kate's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Kate.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Kate (1880).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data