Head to head · Girls' names
Kate vs Kyomi
#520 vs #546 in 2025
Kate is ahead (#520 vs #546 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Kate is stepping back from its peak, Kyomi is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Kyomi has the edge.
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
On the charts, Kate leads 5 measures of 6; Kyomi leads 1.
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: Kate #94, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1890s: Kate #147, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1900s: Kate #222, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1910s: Kate #318, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1920s: Kate #509, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1930s: Kate #684, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1940s: Kate #792, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1950s: Kate #868, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1960s: Kate #706, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1970s: Kate #452, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 1980s: Kate #200, Kyomi #8224 — Kate higher
- 1990s: Kate #310, Kyomi — — Kate higher
- 2000s: Kate #164, Kyomi #11459 — Kate higher
- 2010s: Kate #231, Kyomi #11609 — Kate higher
- 2020s: Kate #469, Kyomi #1503 — Kate higher
Kate stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Kate | Kyomi |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #94 | — |
| 1890s | #147 | — |
| 1900s | #222 | — |
| 1910s | #318 | — |
| 1920s | #509 | — |
| 1930s | #684 | — |
| 1940s | #792 | — |
| 1950s | #868 | — |
| 1960s | #706 | — |
| 1970s | #452 | — |
| 1980s | #200 | #8224 |
| 1990s | #310 | — |
| 2000s | #164 | #11459 |
| 2010s | #231 | #11609 |
| 2020s | #469 | #1503 |
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
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.
Kyomi
Not established
No meaning is established for the spelling Kyomi. What is documented is the closely similar Japanese given name Kiyomi, written most often with characters for 'pure' and 'beauty' — but there is no record showing that American Kyomis descend from it rather than from the sound itself, alongside names like Naomi and Kyoko.
Our story of Kyomi — where the record runs out
Every part of this name is already familiar to an English ear, which is part of why it needed no introduction when it began appearing on American birth records. The Ky- opening belongs to Kyle and Kyra; the -mi ending belongs to Naomi, Noemi, Mimi.
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
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.
Kyomi
KYOH-mee
Two syllables is the usual American reading, with the K and Y sliding together. Some families say it in three, kee-OH-mee, closer to Japanese Kiyomi. Both are in use, so expect to state your preference once and then be understood.
- Kyo — The most natural clipping, informal and mostly used at home.
- Mimi — Drawn from the ending; also stands alone as a given name and nickname in French and English.
- Kiki — An informal playground-style short form, common with any K-initial name.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Kate if you want…
- a name most people already know#520 in 2025, 576 babies that year
- a name past its most crowded yearsKate is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesKate is 1 syllable to Kyomi's 3
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Katie, Katy and Kat
Choose Kyomi if you want…
- a name fewer children share#546 in 2025 — kyomi will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name on the way upup 1,182 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itKyomi runs 3 syllables, Kate 1
- a newer arrivalKyomi entered the US charts in 1982
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
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.
Kyomi
Strengths
- Phonetically transparent for English speakers: it is read correctly on sight far more often than most names this uncommon.
- Short — two syllables in ordinary American use — and pairs easily with longer surnames.
- Sounds like names people already know, sharing its ending with Naomi and Noemi and its opening with Kyra.
To consider
- The spelling and the pronunciation both have a rival: Kiyomi on paper, kee-OH-mee aloud. Neither is wrong, but you will be correcting one or the other fairly often, and so will she.
- No meaning is settled for this spelling. If a firm answer to 'what does it mean' matters to you, this name will not supply one — though it can point to the Japanese Kiyomi as its nearest documented relative.
- It is being given almost entirely to babies right now, so there are few adult Kyomis to borrow a first impression from. That cuts both ways: nothing to live up to, and nothing to live down.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Kate
40%chance Kate feels dated by 2040
Kate sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Kyomi
62%chance Kyomi feels dated by 2040
Kyomi is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
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 Kate and Kyomi 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 Kate and Kyomi?
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 head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- One-decade wonders
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- One-syllable names: said in a single beat
- Middle names that go with everything
- all guides
Where Kate and Kyomi each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Kate or Kyomi — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Kate or Kyomi?
- Kate, in 2025: Kate ranked #520 with 576 babies; Kyomi ranked #546 with 551 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Kate or Kyomi?
- Kyomi. Over the last five years Kate moved down 109 places; Kyomi moved up 1,182 places.
- Which is the older name, Kate or Kyomi?
- Kate was already in use when US records began in 1880; Kyomi entered the US charts in 1982. On the American record, Kate is the older name.
- How many people are named Kate and Kyomi?
- About 70,500 people named Kate are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 1,400 people named Kyomi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Kates or Kyomis in the classroom?
- Kate will almost certainly be the only one in school. Kyomi 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
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