Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Cate?
Births per year, rank history and how many Cates are alive today.
Cate (female) is a shortened form of the name Catherine (and sometimes of Katie or Kate). Cate itself was last registered for 5 babies in 2016; most Cates are registered as Catherine, which ranked 590th in 2025 with 66 babies.
Most people called Cate are registered as Catherine, and share that name's profile: the Catherine you are most likely to meet is around 62 years old - or else around 29: the name has two living generations. Half of all Catherines born in England and Wales are between 36 and 67, and there are at least 130,000 of them alive today. Only some Catherines go by Cate.
How many babies are named Cate or Catherine each year?
Combined registrations of Catherine, Katharine, Katherine, Kathryn, Cate. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Catherine rank as a registered name?
Where does Cate rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Cate short for Catherine?
Yes - Cate is a shortened form of Catherine. It is also used for Katie and Kate. Cates are usually registered as Catherine at birth.
When was the name Cate most popular?
The full name Catherine peaked in 1964, when around 3,800 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Cate itself peaked as a registered name in 2005, with 21 babies.
How many people are called Cate?
There's no official count of people who go by Cate, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 130,000 people registered as Catherine born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Cate.
How old is the typical Cate?
Most people called Cate are registered as Catherine. Most living Catherines are between 36 and 67; the most common age is about 62. There is a second cluster around 29.
Is Cate becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1964 peak.