Kate

I know it’s seen as classy, but I often think of a weak pushover. Sounds too soft in my opinion. Or it sounds borderline snobby. Just don’t love the vibe or the spelling.

I have always loved the name Kate for a girl; it's short, spunky, and no-nonsense! I'd gladly name a future daughter as Kate, and don't get why some belittle the name.

Way too short, if you want to go for for a bit of fun then use the name Katherine, Kathleen or something like that for the first name and name her Kate for short.

I prefer Kate as the real name, NOT a nickname of Katherine... just be named Kate! It's great!

I love this name - it’s solid and has a legion of great namesakes. If I were to name a daughter this then she would actually be a Kate, not a Katherine who goes by Kate, even though Kate was initially a nickname for Katherine. It’s plenty good enough as a name in itself.

This is the best name ever, period. I am very biased, as this is my name, but no matter how short or how inconvenient (hey, ‘Kay) or how much I hate my nickname (Katydid or Katerpillar), I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Also, Katherine is boring. Moms, do Kate instead.

I'm quite surprised to find out that this is a diminutive or short form of Katherine. One of my cousins on my mom's side is named Kate. She is cool, smart, and was even in the army. I really like this name, and I also like the nickname Katie.

Kate is a lovely name. Even though it originated as a nickname for Katherine I think it’s pretty as a given name as well.

Kate is very common, yet it's never lost its charm, other popular names like Emily, Chole and Jessica, all lost their beauty because of the popularity, but Kate, I can't even explain it, it's just AMAZING!

Feel as tho Kate is used a lot and always will be. I think it’s a decent name and understand why so many people love it! If your name is Kate I have a question- do you get nicknames? It’s very hard to find nicknames for this name, I can only think of Katie or Kat.

For ‘My name is Pip’- I do have nicknames, but they are generally longer than my real name, as in ‘Katydid.’.

Quite a nice sound, but overused on TV.

Kate reminds me of Baby Kate from Arthur, one of my favorite animated shows. She is the youngest sister of Arthur and D.W.. I'm surprised no one brought this up. Kate is a very sweet and harmless name by itself. I personally like Kate short for Katerina.

I love how simple and sweet Kate is because you can use so many different middle names. I once met this beautiful little girl named Kate Magnolia Rae and ever since it’s stuck with me, I love the pairing.

Wayyy too common and boring!

I know this is a common name, but every Kate I have met is the sweetest person ever. Even though it’s popular, I think it’s a classic and deserves to be popular. It’s common for a reason. It’s pretty and it’s not too feminine. It reminds of of Kat or Kit but slightly more elegant. Kate also sounds brave and kind. My mom is a Kate and she is the most generous and sweet person ever. Such a beautiful and simple name. Plus, it’s a nice name at any age (if that makes sense).

Soo it looks like everyone’s pretty hit or miss on the name. That’s fine! There are always going to be people who don’t like something you like and vice versa. HOWEVER you do have to be polite! As someone whose name is Kate, I’m a little offended by some of y’all who wrote paragraphs upon paragraphs about everything wrong with it. It’s fine to not like it, and it’s fine to share with others why you don’t like it, but writing rude comments about people who are named Kate is crossing the line. We can’t control what our parents name us! Sorry if our name brings you pain to read on the screen. I know it’s hard but imagine that there is a brand new mother sitting in the hospital holding her newborn baby girl named Kate, sobbing because you just told her how bad of a mother she was for naming her daughter that. Moms- you’re awesome! Naming a baby is so so fun, but it can be stressful! All of y’all need to remember that.

It's pretty cute and makes me think of someone brave. I do like Kathrine better though.

Looks boring and sounds also too soft. Why not give something like Katherine? Sounds more mature, stronger, fits also for older age. Grandmother Katherine sounds good. Kate sounds just boring.

It's pretty!

It’s boring!

My dad wanted to name me Kaitlyn but had a cousin named that so he decided to name me Kateland after Ireland and Disneyland lol. I like my name it's unique and rare to ever see and fun. I always had comments about my name in a good way, some would even say it sounded like an amusement park, haha.

Kate is one of the best names I know (period).

Pretty and cute.

Pretty, classic, and dignified-sounding!

So pretty, I love this name. It also consists of very nice letters, and it’s short and classic.

I absolutely cannot stand this name! It is so overused and I see it ALL THE TIME! The name Kate is everywhere and I can’t stand it! Kate makes me think of some perfect girl you wanna hate. I don’t hate Princess Kate though because she is very nice and it’s short for Catherine. I just hate this name with a passion. It is short for Katherine which I hate too! Kate is overused for fictional characters and is so boring and annoying. I wish people would be more creative and STOP giving this name and Katherine to the daughters. I want to see the name Katherine out of the top 100! Kate is such a common boring nickname and I am so sick of seeing this name EVERYWHERE! I don’t want to see girls or characters with this name ANYMORE! Kate is in the hit show This is Us which my mom loves and I don’t watch. Why Kate? They should have named her anything else but Kate or a K name! Kate is so overused! This also goes in the category of overused K names! I hate K names and am SO sick of them because everyone wants to use K names! I see K names ALL THE TIME! And I am so sick of them along with this infernal name Kate! Ugh!
Katherine Katelyn. Kaitlyn are so overused and I am so sick of these names. They are the worst and most annoying names and I see them ALL THE TIME!
I am so sick of these names!

More mature sounding than Katie.

We were planning to name our child a name starting with K. Kylie? Possibly.. Katherine... we thought. Slightly more boring than... Katelyn? YES! But nicknames? That was a little difficult to decide. At Katelyn’s birth we decided Katie. We thought it was cute. Turns out it didn’t suit her well. Sounded a bit artificial and not natural. Annoying to pronounce. When she was one, we thought Kate would work better. Kate was natural, decently smooth and refined. It was also pretty and seemed great during her young adult years instead of Katie. Now, she is 13 and she is extremely overwhelmed in a happy way that Katie wasn’t her name. Katelyn also sounded simple.

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Katie and Kate & Katherine and Katelyn are great names, but Kate gave a better approach to us personally.

I don't know too many Kate's, but a lot of people's names are Katherine and they go by Katie.

The name Kate reminds me of a blonde peppy little girl with dimples. She would grow up to be a beautiful teacher and get many compliments. Kate Ayva sounds great together.

Short and simple. Yet wild and spirited.

Kind of boring, but decent as an average name.

Kate is a simple name, but I don't think it leaves a deep impression of anyone. If you know what I mean... It's a cute name, but for some reason seems expressionless. I don't have anything against this name but I wouldn't name my child Kate. But it's still very cute.

This name seems short on its own, like you would hear Kate and automatically ask what it's short for. It doesn't sounds as professional as Katherine at all, but it still sounds pretty, though this name sounds on the young side to me.

The one thing I find annoying about the name Kate is how people act as if it is just a nickname when it is a full name in itself. And yes I am aware it is a diminutive of Katherine, but Kate has progressed on to a full name and it does not need to be short for anything as it is a strong classic name by itself.

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I think Kate is a very pretty name. I like the way it sounds when you say it, as it sounds very sophisticated and sweet at the same time. I don't think you can go wrong naming your child Kate, and Katie is a cute nickname for her.

I really like the name Kate, but only as a diminutive of Katherine or variants thereof. Kate to me seems strong and mature but at the same time delicate and feminine. Kate is my second favourite diminutive of Katherine; Katya wins but not by that much. As a full name, however, as with any other name that is a diminutive of another name, it lacks weight.

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Kate is a very common name as a diminutive of Katherine, Caitlin, and many other related names, and there is no shortage of just Kate's in the world, but the very high level of use doesn't affect how much I like the name. It's simple and very common but beautiful.

My name is Kate and I have always loved my name. I love how short it is and I like the way it sounds. A lot of people also call me Katie which I think is a sweet nickname. I have never had problems with my name and it's very easy to spell, so that is a bonus. I know a lot of people who don't like their name but I have always loved being called Kate, it's a great name :)

My name is Katharine, named after Katharine Hepburn (which I think is pretty cool). I go by Kate now, but used the nickname Katie when I was younger. I do agree with the other comments that say Katie is more of a little girl's name. I think Kate is stronger and much prettier for an adult.

This name is quite nice, I think, and very simple.

It's a cute nickname for Katharine and also makes a great stand-alone name or middle name! It can also be spelled "Cate" which is less common. Anyway, Kate is a very lovely name!

I like the sound of the K and the T but also find this a stale, dull name. Go with Katie to make it a tiny bit more interesting!

My real name is Katerina, but Kate is the English name I use in formal situations. Katie, my primary and informal English name, is a sunny and youthful name, and it's the one I'll use for the rest of my life. But in the professional and academic worlds-with teachers, employers, and colleagues-Kate is much better. I spent years trying to find a fun, informal nickname that fit-I tried Kiki and Kitty and Katina and lots of other Katherine nicknames until settling on Katie at 19-but at 7 years old I decided to tell the teachers I was called Kate and I've been using it in professional and academic situations ever since. It's easily pronounceable, very sharp, and very clean. Plus, it doesn't get the obligatory "oh, that's an interesting name, where are you from?" attention that my full name gets, and it's not at all cutesy or childish.

I think this makes a REALLY pretty middle name! ^^ xoxo.

I am called "Kate", but like many others, my given name is "Kathleen." As a child I was called "Kathy", and I hated it. Once grown, I used "Kathleen". One day, a friend asked: "you don't look like a "Kathleen" to me, may I call you "Kate"? I've enjoyed being "Kate" ever since. One drawback is that when I moved south from new england; some folks started calling me "Katie", which turned into "Katy-Jo"! (My last name is Johannsen.) So instead of being "Kate Johannsen", these folks think I'm "Katy-Jo Hansen"! Please folks; I live in the south, but I'm not THAT southern!

This name is so celebrity-like and famous sounding that just about anyone can give it a good impression, even when used as a nickname.

I love the name Kate! I think it's silly how some people can't get over the fact that this is a full name and has been for a long time now! Kate is beautiful and classy as a first name and it certainly does not need to be a nickname for Katherine any more.

My name is Kate and I live in England where Kate is known more for being a first name so I never get anyone asking me what my real name is like you may get if you live in America where it is more of a nickname for something else.

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I think my name is short but very pretty and sophisticated. I don't mind the nickname Katie but I much prefer being called Kate as it's more mature and grown up sounding.

Whether your real name is "Kate", or your real name is "Catherine/Katherine", I think it's a nice nickname or name. :)

I am the only Cate (with a C) that I have met, and personally I prefer my spelling. There's a slightly more classic/historical feel to it. Besides which, my full first name is Catherine, and it really just doesn't make sense to have a nickname that starts with a K when my full name starts with a C. So consider this spelling, but I would warn that people ALWAYS get it wrong the first time and never bother to ask.

Personally, I think this should stay a nickname. It's nice as a nickname, but as a given name? I don't think so. I do like Kate Winslet. Can't stand Kate Hudson or Kate Moss, though.

I think Katie is a more common nickname for Katherine than Kate is... That being said, I prefer this to Katie, which I don't mind, (although it is a little childish) but its waaayy too common. Kate is a lot classier in my opinion. I think it can work as a nickname for Katherine/Kathryn or as a full name, and it makes a really good nickname too. I know two girls whose full name is Kate, and they're both under the age of ten, which made me think it was very popular, but in reality it's not. I can see a baby named Kate, a teenager named Kate, an adult named Kate, and an old woman named Kate easily :)

Kate as a first name is not common. Unfortunately most Katherines go by the nickname Kate so it seems like it is common but it actually isn't. Most time you ask a girl called Kate her name she will say Katherine etc so Kate is not common.

I think this could be a more mature nickname for Katherine that Katie, but also a full name. Very pretty either way!

I like the simplicity of the name Kate, yet I do not find it boring at all... I think it sounds very pretty to the ear. My name is Emily Kate and my family runs it together and my grandparents will sometimes call me Kate or Katie. I agree with the person that posted further up the page.. I do not like being called Katie... It sounds so childish.

I know most people think it's a nickname for Catherine/Katherine and it is, but I actually like Kate as a stand-alone name. It's a modern alternative to actually naming a girl Catherine/Katherine. I once heard of a girl whose legal name (at birth) was Kate Marie.

I'm sorry to all the Kates out there but this name is just so amazingly boring. There's nothing TO this name. I would never ever call my daughter this.

I like this a lot better than the spelling Cate. What's up with that?

My real name is Paige and when I was born my mom wanted to name me something long that I can shorten and my dad wanted something plain and simple and he wanted to name me Erin. Years later I figure out he also would have named me Kate. Which personally I like but I hate the nickname Katie or Kat.

I just don't like this name. Sorry to all of you Kate's out there, but I just don't like it one bit. I have yet to meet one Kate (Kate being a nickname or short for something else) that doesn't rub me the wrong way. I have also never met a blonde Kate. They ALWAYS have unremarkable brown hair.

Kate is such a cute name. Makes a great middle name also.

This name can suit a variety of women, but I don't like it as a stand-alone name.

I am a Kate, short for Kathleen, and I love my name. I read a baby name book (Beyond Jennifer and Jason) that stated 'There is something invincible about Kate', and I couldn't agree more. I think it's a simple but pretty name, and one that won't seem faddish or dated in twenty years. It's popular but not too popular.

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One drawback, like a previous user (Kal) stated, is that people seem to have an ingrained opposition to calling us Kate and love calling us Katie instead. It's cute when my grandma calls me that - the rest of you need to step off. :D I've also been called Kat, Kathy, Katya, Katelyn. I think sometimes people feel Kate is not a proper or full name and that they need to rechristen you.

Kate is my name, and I also have the "hey!" problem. The worst is when someone shortens OK to just "kay"--that always gets me. Despite that, though, I really like my name. It's hard to misspell or mispronounce, and it sounds nice. :)

It's too short and sounds like it should be a nickname for Katherine, not a name on its own. And it makes me think of the ghastly and irritating Kate Gosselin.

My name is Kate, and full name is Kathleen. I agree with the others that when people say "Hey!" from across the room it sounds like "Kate!". I haven't found it very common which has been nice, and neither is Kathleen. People usually think it's short for Katherine and I like telling people that it's not! Usually I have to correct people who want to call me Katie, but that's not a very big deal to me. I love my name!

Kate is a sweet and simple name. I think it captures the essence of the meaning "pure" better than any of the other versions of Katherine/Catherine.

Beautiful name, classic, timeless, feminine, romantic, simple yet elegant.

We named our daughter Kate Suzanne and it means "pure"-"lily of the valley" together. Very beautiful. I was told Kate would be too common, but have only know 1 other Kate my daughter's age, and only 1 other about 4 years older. Kaitlyn and other forms are common and if they start to go by Kate when they get older, well then - yes it will be more common, but I wouldn't change it. I love it!

My name is Kate and I adore the name and meaning. I also love how simple and classic it is.

The BEST shortened form of Katherine. Bar-none!

When Katey got older, if she wanted something more mature than 'Katey' she could just drop her 'y' and become a Kate. I think this is very clever, and I like the name Kate. It works for a little girl and also an young woman and an old lady.

My given name is Katharine, but no one has ever called me that, not even my parents- I've always been a Kate. I used to not like it, because it seemed so plain and boring, but now I really do: I think it's sharp and classic yet modern. It brings to mind someone cool, elegant and intelligent, a kind of Kate Hepburn type figure. Also, I've honestly never met anyone else called Kate- plenty of Katherines, which I find too dowdy and common, and a million Katies- I'm sorry, that name just reminds me of immensely annoying five year old girls. People often call me Katie and I have to correct them. One other problem: whenever people say "Ok", or worse, "'k" I think they're seeing my name, which can get a little confusing.

I like Kate as a nickname for Katharine or Kathleen. Like some people I feel like you should have a proper or more formal first name, and then a less formal nickname. For example, my mom named me Joan but everyone refers to me as Joanie.

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For the most part, I find Kate very classy and simple and I really like it! I don't like Katie/Katy though. Katie/Katy doesn't seem to age very well.

One of my favorite names. Great on its own, or great as a nickname for Katherine, Katarina, Katalina or Katia.

My sister's name is Kate and she adores the name and meaning.

I love love love the name Kate but hate hate hate Katherine, Kathleen, and Katie. Katherine and Kathleen are too stiff and bleh and Katie is too sissy and babyish.

I don't agree with what some of you are saying. Kate isn't a popular name at all, it's just a popular nickname. Anyhow I don't care how many people use this name or how popular it is. I love the name Kate and I love how classic it is.

It's not as popular as Ashley and Emily that's for sure. Kate has been around since the 1800's and is a great name that will never go out of style.

Too popular.

I really like this name. It's short and cute. I like it better on its own rather than a nickname. I do agree this name is used a bit too much though.

Kate; Sweet, kind, caring, smart and beautiful woman.

Kate is my name. I will admit I like my name, it's short, sweet, simple and to the point, and it fits me. :)

My birth name is Katie, my family calls me Kate at times, and my friends only call me Katie. I like the name Kate, I think it’s really cool, but when I hear someone call me Kate it just doesn’t sound right, like it’s not really me? What can I say, I’m a Katie. =)

Katie is 100 times prettier and cutesie than Kate.

I'm a Kate, just a Kate, and quite frankly - I love my name. I love the sound of it. I love how short it is. I love everything about it. Shakespeare liked it, so you should too!

It is way too overused.

I've always loved the Kate family of names. I love Kate on its own or as a nickname for Kathleen or maybe even Katarina. It's pretty, timeless, sweet and classic. Always in style. There may be a number of Kates around but it is in a timeless way rather than trendy.

Kate isn’t a popular given name. The problem with Kate is that if your name is Katie, Katelyn, Katherine, Kathleen, Katrina, Katlin, and Caitlin etc. The child will most likely go by Kate. Now that is the main reason why it seems so popular. Kate by the way is my name, and I honestly have never met another Kate in my whole life. Ohhh I’m sure I’ll bump into just a Kate sometime down the line. Honestly I'm glad my real name isn't Katherine, I like being Kate it fits me well, where as I'm defiantly not a Katherine.

I like Kate, just Kate not Katherine or Katelyn. I have noticed Americans tend to think you need a “real name” on a birth certificate whereas the British think otherwise and use mostly “nicknames” as a full name.

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Somebody posted above Kate is a very popular name in Hollywood. The reason being is because Hollywood can't control people like they used too. Basically most actors and actresses don't use stage names anymore.

My full name is Katherine, but I've been "Kate" from day one. I love being a Kate, and I've had very few problems with it. The most common issue is being called "Katie". Just imagine if your name was Kevin, for instance, how weird it would be if someone called you "Keviny". That is how strange Katie sounds when applied to me. The only other problem is that the expression "hey!" sounds far too much like "Kate!" when called out. I can't tell you how many times I've turned around unnecessarily, craning to see who might have called me.

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Overall, I think it is a versatile name in the sense that it can fit a girl who grows up to be a rock musician as well as a girl who will become a lawyer or politician. It also transitions well from childhood to adulthood. These are NOT my sentiments in regards to "Katie", however. To me, Katie evokes the image of a three-year-old Irish girl with pigtails. I think Katie takes the slightly sharp and sexy edge off of Kate and makes it too cutesy. If deciding on a nickname for your baby Katherine/Kathryn, chose KATE!

I'll second what kal said-- from a room away it's impossible to tell whether somebody's calling you or yelling at somebody else. (Worse, one of my brothers goes by Jake, so you can imagine the confusion.) Still, I've always really liked the name. It has much more independent feel than Katie, which is a little girl's name no matter how you look at it. I've always been glad my mother named me Katherine (for the express purpose of always calling me Kate) and gave me the option of more serious-sounding name when I needed one.

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Plus, it's nice to have the "real" name on my birth certificate. Nicknames are nice, but they're just sounds-- they don't carry nearly the same weight of meaning as the full versions do.

Same here! My mom named me Kate from the start, but my parents actually had to come up with a formal name afterwards. I agree with you, even though I personally don't like the name Katherine (applied to myself, I actually like the name for other people for some reason), the name Katherine Ann sounds much more distinguished and has more legal sounding. I would have much rather prefered being a Kathryn, but I suppose people would always be confusing the spelling.

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The issue with similar sounding things really annoys me too. Many many names have an "ay" sound, as well as "hey", and my natural reaction is thinking they were calling for me.

I like Kate, but not by itself. I like the full name Katherine, but the nickname Kate is great too. I don't like Kath, or Kathy though. I think a combo like Emma or Anna Katherine, AKA Emma Kate is cute.

This is my middle name, and though I've always liked it I would have prefered something a bit longer. It makes a nice change from my friends who all have the middle name Louise.

I think the name Kate is simple, classy and suits both a child and an adult. However it has been ruined for me by its popularity and how all the Kates I have met don't suit the name.

Actually, most Kates I know are contumelious, egocentric hypocrites that are immature and presumptuously arrogant. This has JUST DONE IT for me! However, I still like the name Kate, I think its simple, but rather scintillating to the ear.

This name is pretty, simple and a classic. :) However, I prefer Katherine!

Kate is a beautiful name for a young girl and a lady. An easy name to grow up with.

My name is Kate. I was given the middle name of "Suzanne", after my Mother. I was born in 1991, and, growing up, never met any other "Kates". I believe I knew one Katie, but no one else until I was about eleven, when I befriended a Kaitlin and a Katy. Sure, my name is fine. Classic enough. And short and simple. But, for me, I always wanted something more to my name. So, just something to consider if you are thinking of naming your daughter Kate. My parents were thinking of Cassanrda, Samantha, Lorraine, or Amber for me -- and I would've liked to have been a Cassie or Sam! But it's not a bad name, no. It's just a little more simple than I would've liked.

My cousin's name is Kate and I love her name. I think that it is not liked as much as it should be!

I love the name Kate, it's so nice and simple which is great because there is no need for it to be shortened. I would love to name my girl Kate one day. Another thing is I think it is such a timeless name and will never go out of date. There are some great actresses who share the name too which is kinda cool. Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett being the best!

I think Kate is a very sweet name.

I like Kate or Katie as a nick name fo Katherine, Katrina, Kaitlyn or Katerina.