Birte vs Kate
Birte and Katecompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Girls
In 2001, Birte was ranked #479 and Kate #540 among girls in Norway.
Birte and Kate over time
Birte and Kate appear together in 1 published list, across 53 years of shared records. Kate held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Birte in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Kate reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Birte in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Birte and Kate changed places 11 times in Norway · Girls between 1946 and 2001, ending at #479 and #540.
- Longest-running competitions
Birte and Kate were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 53 years, from 1946 to 2001, ending at #479 and #540.
List by list
Norway · Girls53 shared years, 1946–2001
Birte held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Kate in 38.
Highest recorded here: Birte #171 in 1963, Kate #104 in 1956.
The order changed in 1991: Birte moved ahead. In 1990 they stood at #593 and #450; by 1991 that had become #355 and #512.
Most recent shared year, 2001: Birte #479, Kate #540.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Birte | Kate |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of Katherine, used independently since the Middle Ages — appears in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (1593) as a short form of Katherina. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek, short form of Katherine |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈkeɪt/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #590 (2006) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kate has a recorded origin (Greek, short form of Katherine); Birte does not have one recorded yet.
- Birte and Kate both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Kate; Birte doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Birte
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #324 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1946–2006
Highest recorded position: #171 among girls in Norway, in 1963 (recorded 1946–2006).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2006
Most recently recorded at #590 among girls in Norway, in 2006.
Norway · Girls
Kate
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #233 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #10 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2007 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #52 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls