Total births
85,987
Girls' name · since 1880
Kate
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 85,987 babies named Kate, peaking in 2007. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #533
- among girls today
- 85,987
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Kate currently ranks #533 among girls' names in America, with 85,987 babies recorded since 1880.
Kate has 85,987 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #533 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #533 among girls today
- 85,987 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kate is currently the #533 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 85,987 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #533
- among girls today
- 85,987
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Kate vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#533
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Kate was born in this single decade.
2007
Single peak year
2,550 babies were named Kate in 2007 - its busiest year on record.
How Kate compares
85,987 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Kate's all-time total is 225x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kate | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 85,987 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,550 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kate's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kate's full recorded timeline at 1953, 82% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 18% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1945, with just 76 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2007 peak of 2,550 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kate at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2007
Current rank
#533
Active since
1880
Kate popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2007)
- 2,550
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Kate popularity over time - boys
89 total births recorded since 1902 (Kate as boys' name)
Kate by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Kate's strongest decade.
20,768 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Kate births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,194
1880s
3,194 births
- 1890s 3,001
1890s
3,001 births
- 1900s 2,058
1900s
2,058 births
- 1910s 2,840
1910s
2,840 births
- 1920s 1,966
1920s
1,966 births
- 1930s 967
1930s
967 births
- 1940s 1,002
1940s
1,002 births
- 1950s 1,259
1950s
1,259 births
- 1960s 2,037
1960s
2,037 births
- 1970s 5,496
1970s
5,496 births
- 1980s
1980s
13,568 births
- 1990s
1990s
9,355 births
- 2000s
2000s
20,768 births
- 2010s
2010s
14,470 births
- 2020s 4,006
2020s
4,006 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 20,768 births (24% of all-time use).
How Kate compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Kate's total volume
Kate vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kate by state
Where Kate concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 8,475 | 9.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 6,109 | 7.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 5,688 | 6.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 3,397 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 3,004 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 2,965 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 2,455 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 2,453 | 2.9% |
California share of Kate's total US births 9.9%
Even split
8,475 of 85,987 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kate appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kate? ▼
Kate has been given to 85,987 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #533 as of the latest data. 2,550 babies were born in 2007, its single highest year.
When was Kate most popular? ▼
Kate was most popular in the 2000s decade with 20,768 total births. The single peak year was 2007.
Where is Kate most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kate are California (8,475 births), New York (6,109 births), Texas (5,688 births).
How long has the name Kate been used? ▼
Kate has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kate? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kathleen, Katherine, Kathryn, Kathy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kate's data
- Kate's decade-level peak was the 2000s (20,768 total births); usage has since declined to 4,006 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kates (8,475 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kate
Nearby Names Like Kate
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kate
Kathleen Girl
#1099 713,645 births
Katherine Girl
#175 650,926 births
Kathryn Girl
#714 455,423 births
Kathy Girl
#2699 334,131 births
Katie Girl
#576 241,285 births
Compare Kate side by side: Kate vs Kathleen Kate vs Katherine Kate vs Kathryn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kate
Vienna #532
7,565 births · Peak 2025
Stephanie #534
745,148 births · Peak 1990
Nalani #531
7,954 births · Peak 2025
Ari #535
7,662 births · Peak 2022
Hadassah #530
9,312 births · Peak 2024
Briana #536
97,120 births · Peak 1994
Mae #529
114,835 births · Peak 1918
Jordan #537
135,599 births · Peak 1997
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kate: #533 Girls' Name - 85,987 Births, Peak 2007." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kate. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Kate draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.