as a First Name
Short form of Katherine (or any of its variant spellings), reflecting the French pronunciation with -t- for -th-, which was also usual in medieval England. This short form has been continuously popular since the Middle Ages, and is now frequently used as an independent given name. It was used by Shakespeare for two important characters: the daughter of the King of France who is wooed and won by King Henry V, and the ‘shrew’ in The Taming of the Shrew.
| 636th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Quick facts
- Tens of Thousands
- of people in the U.S have this name
- 71,742
- to be exact (as of February 2011)
- Vermont
- has the most people named Kate per capita
- 2007
- marked the height of its popularity
100%
0%
3%
55+
55+
20%
30-54
30-54
26%
13-29
13-29
52%
0-12
0-12
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map
