Eimear vs Kate
Eimear 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 2025, Eimear was ranked #207 and Kate #52 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Eimear was ranked #110 and Kate #134 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Eimear was ranked #4192 and Kate #1302 among girls in England and Wales.
Eimear and Kate over time
Eimear and Kate appear together in 3 published lists, across 115 years of shared records. Kate held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Eimear in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Eimear reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Kate in 1. 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in Northern Ireland · Girls, Eimear and Kate averaged 33.5 places apart, ending at #110 and #134.
- Longest-running competitions
Eimear and Kate were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 58 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #207 and #52.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Eimear #1365 in 1997, Kate #59 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls58 shared years, 1964–2025
Eimear held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Kate in 39.
Highest recorded here: Eimear #26 in 1996, Kate #10 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eimear #207, Kate #52.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Eimear held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Kate in 29.
Highest recorded here: Eimear #1365 in 1997, Kate #59 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Eimear #4192, Kate #1302.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Eimear held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Kate in 0.
Highest recorded here: Eimear #31 in 1997, Kate #47 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Eimear #110, Kate #134.
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 | Eimear | 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #207 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #52 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kate has a recorded origin (Greek, short form of Katherine); Eimear does not have one recorded yet.
- Eimear and Kate both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Kate; Eimear doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Eimear
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #300 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 recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #26 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1996 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #207 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
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