Entry № 1251 · English, Greek origin

Kate Kate — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ KATE /
Gender
Girl
Origin
English, Greek
Meaning
"Pure (Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales; Kate Moss; Kate Bush)"
Syllables
1
Rank · US 2025
№ 200
First recorded
Medieval (English)

A name that means "pure (kate middleton, princess of wales; kate moss; kate bush)".

Kate is the English short form of Katherine — from the Greek katharos (pure). **A top-100 US baby name continuously from 1880 through the present**. **Catherine "Kate" Middleton (born 1982)** — **the Princess of Wales since her husband William's accession to the title in 2022; her 2011 wedding was watched by an estimated 2 billion people worldwide and is widely considered the most-watched royal event in history**. **Kate Moss (born 1974)** — British supermodel whose 1990s heroin-chic aesthetic, discovered at 14 at JFK Airport, redefined fashion modeling. **Kate Bush (born 1958)** — English singer-songwriter; her 1985 *Running Up That Hill* topped global charts in 2022 after featuring in *Stranger Things*, 37 years after release. **Kate Winslet (born 1975)** — British actress; Oscar (*The Reader*, 2008). **Kate Hudson, Kate Mara, Kate Beckinsale, Kate McKinnon, Kate Spade, Kate Hepburn**.

Subject of countless royal biographies.

Pure. Princess of Wales since 2022; Kate Moss redefined modeling; Kate Bush hit #1 again 37 years later.

The name in its native script.

Kate
Transliteration
Kate
Pronunciation
/ keɪt /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Kate stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 200 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 89 in 2011
Babies named Kate · last year
1,500 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1880
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #89 NOW · #200

Kates before her.

Real people
Catherine Middleton
Princess of Wales.
born 1982
Kate Moss
British supermodel.
born 1974
Kate Bush
English singer-songwriter.
born 1958
Kate Winslet
British Oscar actress.
born 1975
In fiction
Kate Sheppard
Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.
c. 1590

Names connected to Kate.

The number behind Kate.

1

The Pioneer

Kate reduces to one — the number of pure.

Why families chose this name.

"Princess of Wales. Four letters. Kate."
Catherine · Mother of one · London