Cate
Cate was the 8978th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 11 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 1529th with 152 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 6,040 places. More babies were named Cate in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kate) pet form of Katherine · English, Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #8,978 girls, down 2,598 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 11girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2008152 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,789babies recorded
What does the name Cate mean?
Cate is a spelling of Kate, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kate's meaning and origin.
Kate is a pet form of Katherine, long used as a name in its own right. DMNES says Katherine comes from Greek Aikaterinē, of uncertain origin, and that its link with Greek katharos, "pure", is a later association that changed the spelling. Saint Catherine of Alexandria made the name very popular in medieval Europe; Shakespeare's Kate in The Taming of the Shrew is a famous bearer.
Αἰκατερίνη (Ancient Greek, “Katherine (origin uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Well established. Kate is clearly a pet form; Katherine's own origin is uncertain.
Other explanations you may read: Katherine means 'pure'.
Related names: Katherine, Katie, Kat, Kathryn.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kate', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Kate', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Cate popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,978 | 11 |
| 2020 | #6,380 | 18 |
| 2010 | #2,367 | 80 |
| 2000 | #3,127 | 44 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | #10,604 | 5 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Cate, counting every spelling?
Cate is a spelling of Kate, a name family that ranked #517 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #8,978 for Cate on its own. Together these spellings went to 587 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kate | 576 | #522 | 3,241 |
| Cate | 11 | #8,978 | 102 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cate?
11 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cate (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cate born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 750 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cate.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cate?
About 1,800 people born in the US named Cate are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 13 and 22. That makes Cate mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cate by state
How common Cate was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cate: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cate, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Cate
What does Cate mean?
Cate is a spelling of Kate, which means “pet form of Katherine” (English, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Cate?
Cate was the 8978th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 11 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 1529th with 152 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 6,040 places. More babies were named Cate in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Cate a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Cate in the US.
Where is Cate most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cate was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.