Hedvig vs Kate
Hedvig 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 2022, Hedvig was ranked #21 and Kate #490 among girls in Norway.
Hedvig and Kate over time
Hedvig and Kate appear together in 1 published list, across 61 years of shared records. Kate held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Hedvig 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 Hedvig 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
Hedvig and Kate changed places 7 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2022, ending at #21 and #490.
- Mirrored each other
Over 61 shared years in Norway · Girls, Hedvig rose about as far as Kate fell — from #244 and #233 in 1945 to #21 and #490 in 2022.
- Longest-running competitions
Hedvig and Kate were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 61 years, from 1945 to 2022, ending at #21 and #490.
List by list
Norway · Girls61 shared years, 1945–2022
Hedvig held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Kate in 40.
Highest recorded here: Hedvig #21 in 2022, Kate #104 in 1956.
The order changed in 1994: Hedvig moved ahead. In 1993 they stood at #529 and #499; by 1994 that had become #358 and #638.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Hedvig #21, Kate #490.
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 | Hedvig | 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 | /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 #19 (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) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Kate has a recorded origin (Greek, short form of Katherine); Hedvig does not have one recorded yet.
- Hedvig and Kate both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Kate; Hedvig doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Hedvig
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #244 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #19 among girls in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #19 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
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