Katie
Katie was the 646th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 447 babies. Its best year was 1986, when it ranked 38th with 8,333 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 339 places. More babies were named Katie in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Katherine (origin uncertain) · Greek, English
Say it KAY-tee /ˈkeɪti/
- Rank in 2025
- #646 girls, down 166 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 447girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19868,333 babies
- Total since 1880
- 241,784babies recorded
What does the name Katie mean?
Katie is a pet form of Katherine and its other spellings. DMNES traces Katherine to Greek Aikaterine, whose origin is uncertain; it was later linked with Greek katharos, pure, which DMNES says is unrelated and which explains the th spelling. Wiktionary also mentions the goddess Hecate or a word meaning "each of the two" as possible sources. The 4th-century martyr Catherine of Alexandria, DMNES notes, became an extremely popular saint in the Middle Ages.
Αἰκατερίνη (Ancient Greek, “Katherine (origin uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES calls Katherine of uncertain origin; Wiktionary lists several proposals (Hecate, 'each of the two').
Other explanations you may read: Means 'pure' (Greek katharos). DMNES says the names are unrelated; the association came later and shaped the spelling..
Related names: Katherine, Catherine, Kate, Katy, Kathryn, Caitlin.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Katie' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Catherine' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Katie popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 499 since 1892.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #646 | 447 |
| 2020 | #480 | 637 |
| 2010 | #161 | 1,908 |
| 2000 | #95 | 3,413 |
| 1990 | #53 | 6,514 |
| 1980 | #44 | 6,137 |
| 1970 | #355 | 704 |
| 1960 | #388 | 593 |
| 1950 | #352 | 505 |
| 1940 | #250 | 636 |
| 1930 | #226 | 737 |
| 1920 | #184 | 1,121 |
| 1910 | #122 | 672 |
| 1900 | #107 | 618 |
| 1890 | #87 | 509 |
| 1880 | #76 | 303 |
How popular is Katie, counting every spelling?
Katie is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #559 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #646 for Katie on its own. Together these spellings went to 537 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katie | 447 | #646 | 2,687 |
| Katy | 64 | #2,709 | 398 |
| Katty | 5 | #16,087 | 67 |
| Catie | 6 | #13,537 | 37 |
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 Katie?
447 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Katie (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Katie 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 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Katie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Katie?
About 194,400 people born in the US named Katie are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 27 and 44. That makes Katie mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Katie by state
How common Katie was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Pennsylvania (3.0×), Arkansas (2.6×), Kentucky (2.6×), Alabama (2.3×), Missouri (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Connecticut, Nebraska, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Katie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Katie, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Katie · Sibling names for Katie
Katie is also a nickname for Katherine, Kate, Kaitlyn, Kathryn, Katelyn and Kathleen.
Questions about the name Katie
What does Katie mean?
Katie is usually explained as “pet form of Katherine (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Katie?
Katie was the 646th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 447 babies. Its best year was 1986, when it ranked 38th with 8,333 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 339 places. More babies were named Katie in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Katie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Katie in the US.
Where is Katie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Katie was most common in Pennsylvania (0.98 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arkansas and Kentucky.