Kate
Meaning of Kate
Kate is the crisp, one-syllable offshoot of Katherine, a name carried from the Greek “katharos,” meaning “pure,” through the Latin “Katharina” and into countless European tongues—Catalina in Spanish, Caterina in Italian, Catrín in Irish. That lineage lends Kate a classical backbone, yet its sound feels modern and agile, a quality amplified by high-profile figures such as Catherine, Princess of Wales—known globally as Kate—along with Oscar winner Kate Winslet and screen legend Katharine Hepburn. In the United States, the nickname first surfaced on birth records in the late 19th century, climbed steadily throughout the 20th, and reached a contemporary high around 2008 before easing into today’s solid mid-list position, where roughly 600 newborns receive the name each year. Pronounced simply “KAYT,” it travels easily across borders and generations, offering parents a compact alternative to its more elaborate sisters while preserving their centuries-old aura of virtue.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as kayt (/keɪt/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Kate
| Kate Winslet is an acclaimed English actress celebrated for her powerful performances as strong-willed women in period dramas and independent films, earning numerous awards including an Oscar. |
| Kate Beckinsale - English actress Kathrin Romany Beckinsale, the only child of actors Richard Beckinsale and Judy Loe, debuted in the series premiere of the 1975 daytime drama Couples. |
| Kate Chopin was an American author celebrated for her novel The Awakening and her pioneering role in feminist literature. |
| Kate Sheppard - Katherine Wilson Sheppard was a New Zealand suffragist who organized the 1893 petition that made New Zealand the first country to grant women the right to vote. |
| Kate Hudson is an American actress who won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Almost Famous. |
| Kate DiCamillo - Katrina DiCamillo is a celebrated American children's author and two-time Newbery Medal winner whose books have sold millions and inspired multiple film adaptations. |
| Kate Rooney Mara is an American actress acclaimed for her television roles in series like House of Cards, 24, American Horror Story, Pose, and A Teacher. |
| Kate Mulgrew - Katherine Mulgrew is an American actress and author, famous for playing Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager and Red in Orange Is the New Black. |
| Kate Upton - Katherine Upton is an American model and actress renowned for her multiple Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers and the Vanity Fair 100th-anniversary cover. |
| Kate Walsh - Kathleen Erin Walsh is an American actress and businesswoman best known for her role as Dr. Addison Montgomery on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice from 2007 to 2013. |
| Kate Rockwell is an American actor, dancer, and singer acclaimed for originating roles in Bring It On: The Musical and Mean Girls, earning Drama Desk and Helen Hayes Award nominations for the latter. |
| Katherine Spade was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur who co-founded Kate Spade New York. |
| Kate Ritchie is an Australian actress best known for her 20-year role as Sally Fletcher on 'Home and Away' and now co-hosts the Fitzy & Wippa breakfast show on Nova 96.9. |
| Kate Elizabeth Lechmere was a British painter who co-founded the Rebel Art Centre, served as a nurse in World War I, and later became a successful milliner. |
| Kate Steinitz, known as "the Mama of Dada," was a German-American artist and librarian who preserved Bauhaus and Dadaist art while serving the Elmer Belt Library from 1945 until her death. |
