Name meaning & stats
Cate
Cate means “pure (debated)” (English origin). 1,789 US babies since 1940, peak 2008. Notable Cates are 1.4× over-represented as film directors.
What it means
“pure (debated)”
EnglishSpelling of Kate
A short form of Katherine.
Kate around the world
- Кейт · Russian
- Кейт · Ukrainian
- Κέιτ · Greek
- كيت · Arabic
- קייט · Hebrew
- ケイト · Japanese
- 凯特 · Chinese
- Katarzyna · Polish
- Katharina · Dutch
- Katalin · Hungarian
Famous Kates
- Kate Winslet · English actress (born 1975)
- Kate Hudson · American actress and singer (born 1979)
- Kate Mara · American actress (born 1983)
- Kate Chopin · American author (1850–1904)
Kate’s name day
- December 18 · Norway
- November 25 · Latvia
In US birth records
Peak year: 2008
1,789 US babies were named Cate between 1940 and 2025.
Where Cates end up
| Career | vs expected | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Film director | 1.4× | Low · 3 people |
| Writer | 1.0× | Low · 2 people |
| Actor | 0.9× | Low · 2 people |
| Politician | 1.1× | Low · 2 people |
Among notable women who are film directors, Cates show up 1.4× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.
Notable people born 1940–2005 in the US, UK, Canada and Australia (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.
Other spellings
1 in 42 Kates spell it Cate
Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.
Name twins (peaked around 2008)