Dervilla vs Kate
Dervilla 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1993, Dervilla was ranked #516 and Kate #28 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Dervilla and Kate over time
Dervilla and Kate appear together in 1 published list, across 14 years of shared records. Kate held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Dervilla 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.
Dervilla reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Kate 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.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls14 shared years, 1964–1993
Dervilla held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Kate in 8.
Highest recorded here: Dervilla #274 in 1964, Kate #28 in 1993.
The order changed in 1976: Kate moved ahead. In 1975 they stood at #379 and #406; by 1976 that had become #429 and #271.
Most recent shared year, 1993: Dervilla #516, Kate #28.
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 | Dervilla | 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 | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #516 (1993) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 76/100 | 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); Dervilla does not have one recorded yet.
- Dervilla has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Kate.
- A meaning is recorded for Kate; Dervilla doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Dervilla
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #274 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–1993
Highest recorded position: #202 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–1993).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent1993
Most recently recorded at #516 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1993.
Republic of Ireland · 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