Cathrin vs Kate
Cathrin 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 1995, Cathrin was ranked #622 and Kate #636 among girls in Norway.
Cathrin and Kate over time
Cathrin and Kate appear together in 1 published list, across 31 years of shared records. Kate held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cathrin 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 Cathrin 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
Cathrin and Kate changed places 9 times in Norway · Girls between 1963 and 1995, ending at #622 and #636.
- Longest-running competitions
Cathrin and Kate were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 31 years, from 1963 to 1995, ending at #622 and #636.
List by list
Norway · Girls31 shared years, 1963–1995
Cathrin held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Kate in 23.
Highest recorded here: Cathrin #229 in 1971, Kate #126 in 1964.
The order changed in 1990: Cathrin moved ahead. In 1989 they stood at #521 and #489; by 1990 that had become #406 and #450.
Most recent shared year, 1995: Cathrin #622, Kate #636.
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 | Cathrin | 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 #622 (1995) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 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); Cathrin does not have one recorded yet.
- Cathrin and Kate both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Kate; Cathrin doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Cathrin
Popularity journey
First recorded1963
First recorded at #386 among girls in Norway in 1963 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1963–1995
Highest recorded position: #229 among girls in Norway, in 1971 (recorded 1963–1995).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1995
Most recently recorded at #622 among girls in Norway, in 1995.
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