Head to head · Girls' names
Eve vs Kate
#519 vs #520 in 2025
Eve is a whisker ahead (#519 vs #520 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Eve is holding its place on the charts, Kate is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Eve and Kate each lead 2 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Eve #722, Kate #94 — Kate higher
- 1890s: Eve #655, Kate #147 — Kate higher
- 1900s: Eve #517, Kate #222 — Kate higher
- 1910s: Eve #532, Kate #318 — Kate higher
- 1920s: Eve #784, Kate #509 — Kate higher
- 1930s: Eve #882, Kate #684 — Kate higher
- 1940s: Eve #770, Kate #792 — Eve higher
- 1950s: Eve #620, Kate #868 — Eve higher
- 1960s: Eve #611, Kate #706 — Eve higher
- 1970s: Eve #702, Kate #452 — Kate higher
- 1980s: Eve #985, Kate #200 — Kate higher
- 1990s: Eve #1149, Kate #310 — Kate higher
- 2000s: Eve #591, Kate #164 — Kate higher
- 2010s: Eve #494, Kate #231 — Kate higher
- 2020s: Eve #532, Kate #469 — Kate higher
Kate stood higher in 12 of 15 decades; Kate has held the lead since the 1970s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Eve | Kate |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #722 | #94 |
| 1890s | #655 | #147 |
| 1900s | #517 | #222 |
| 1910s | #532 | #318 |
| 1920s | #784 | #509 |
| 1930s | #882 | #684 |
| 1940s | #770 | #792 |
| 1950s | #620 | #868 |
| 1960s | #611 | #706 |
| 1970s | #702 | #452 |
| 1980s | #985 | #200 |
| 1990s | #1149 | #310 |
| 2000s | #591 | #164 |
| 2010s | #494 | #231 |
| 2020s | #532 | #469 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Eve
Life, living
The Hebrew form Ḥavvāh is connected to the root for life and living; Genesis itself glosses the name that way, calling her the mother of all living.
Ḥavvāh → Eua → Eva → Eve
How it traveled
The name begins as Hebrew Ḥavvāh in the Book of Genesis. Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible rendered it Eua, Latin made it Eva, and Old French wore it down to Eve, which is the form English inherited.
Kate
traditionally read as "pure", though the older root is uncertain
Kate comes from Katherine, and Katherine from the Greek Aikaterine, whose origin has never been settled. From early on the name was associated with Greek katharos, "pure" — that link shaped the Latin spelling Catharina and is the reading most often given. Other scholars trace Aikaterine to the goddess Hekate, or to an unrecoverable pre-Greek word. The "pure" sense is real as tradition, not as proven etymology.
Aikaterine → Catharina → Katherine → Kate
How it traveled
The parent name arrived in the Greek-speaking east and traveled west through the cult of Katherine of Alexandria, becoming Catherine in France, Katharina in the German lands, Caterina in Italy. English speakers clipped it almost immediately, and by the Middle Ages Kate, Kit and Kitty were all doing service for the same long formal name.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Eve
EEV
One syllable, rhyming with leave. Identical in sound to the English word eve, as in Christmas Eve. Note that Eva is said two ways — EE-va and AY-va — but Eve itself has only one pronunciation in English.
- Evie — The main affectionate form, and also given as a standalone name in its own right.
- Eva — The Latin form used as a longer, more formal-sounding alternative rather than a shortening.
- Evvy — An informal spelling of the same short form, mostly written within families.
Kate
KAYT
One syllable, rhyming with gate. It is pronounced the same in English wherever it is used, and the spelling gives no one any trouble.
- Katie — The most common affectionate extension; also stands alone as a given name in its own right.
- Katy — Same form, older spelling; used both as a nickname and independently.
- Kat — Informal and modern, common among teenagers and adults rather than small children.
- Kitty — A historical short form of Katherine, occasionally revived; reads as vintage rather than current.
- Also Katiekins.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Eve if you want…
On the measures here, the records do not separate Eve from Kate.
Choose Kate if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsKate is stepping back from its peak
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Katie, Katy and Kat
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Eve
Strengths
- Spelled right on first hearing by nearly everyone, and short enough to fit any form, signature or email address.
- Recognizable across most of Europe and the Middle East in a closely related form — Eva, Ève, Hawwa, Chava.
- A documented record stretching from ancient Hebrew scripture through medieval English drama to today, without ever falling out of use.
To consider
- It is often misheard as Ava or Eva, both of which are far more common right now. Expect to spell it out on the phone and to correct it occasionally.
- Being a single short syllable, it can run together with a one-syllable surname. Say the full name aloud a few times before deciding.
- The biblical Eve comes attached to the story of the fall, and a few people will make that association. In practice it rarely comes up beyond a passing remark.
Kate
Strengths
- Instantly spellable and instantly readable — almost no one will need it repeated or clarified.
- Works as a full legal name or as the short form of Katherine, Katharine or Kathleen, so the choice can stay open.
- A documented history in English going back to the Middle Ages, with continuous use in US records since they began.
To consider
- People will often assume it is short for Katherine and ask for the "full" name on forms, at school, at the doctor's office. That is easy to answer but it does keep coming up.
- At one syllable it can run together with short surnames; saying the whole name aloud a few times is worth doing before you commit.
- It leaves little room to change register later — there is no long formal version to grow into unless you choose one on the birth certificate.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Eve and Kate in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Eve and Kate?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Eve and Kate — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Eve or Kate — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Eve or Kate?
- Eve, in 2025: Eve ranked #519 with 577 babies; Kate ranked #520 with 576 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Eve or Kate?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Eve moved down 50 places; Kate moved down 109 places.
- Which is the older name, Eve or Kate?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Eve and Kate?
- About 25,000 people named Eve are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 70,500 people named Kate are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Eves or Kates in the classroom?
- Eve will almost certainly be the only one in school. Kate will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Eve, Kate and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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