Katee
Feminine · “Pet form of Katherine”
Katee is Katie spelled with a double e, the pet form of Katherine made to stand on its own. It is the exact spelling of the actress who played Starbuck, and its sound is the song of an American insect.
How old is the name Katee?
Katee first appears in US birth records in 1974 — 51 years ago. The typical Katee alive today was born around 1991, making them about 34 years old. About 600 people named Katee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Katee most popular?
Katee peaked in 1986, reaching #2724 nationally. See the whole 1986 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Katherine to Katee
The story of Katee
Katie grew up as the familiar form of Katherine and became a name in its own right. The katydid, a large green insect of North America, takes its name from its call, which Americans heard as 'Katy did, Katy didn't', and the word has been in use since the eighteenth century. Katee Sackhoff, with this exact spelling, became known for playing the fighter pilot Starbuck in the 2004 Battlestar Galactica, a role that had been a man in the original series; her performance made the change one of the most discussed things about the show.
Meaning
Pet form of Katherine
Katie is the everyday form of Katherine, whose origin is itself disputed; Katee is a respelling.
How the name formed
- Katherine
- Katie
- Katee
Related forms: Katie · Katy · Caitlín
Pronouncing Katee
KAY-tee
Said exactly like Katie.
Nicknames for Katee
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1974
- Most girls named
- 198635 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2724reached in 1986
- Change vs 2014
- +20.0%6 in 2015, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Katee in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Katie in English — spelling variant
- Katy in English — spelling variant
- Caitlín in Irish — related form
Katees among us
people named Katee are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Katee sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Sounds like Katie, one of the friendliest names in English.
- Has a well-known bearer with this exact spelling.
- Easy to say in any language.
- Almost everyone will write Katie, so the double e will need pointing out.
- Some will assume it is a nickname and ask for the full name.
- It reads as a name of its era.
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Katee
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Katees are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Katee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Katee in 2025?
- Katee is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Katee with classmates?
- Katee will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Karen#1279 · Kimberly#302 · Kathleen#1150 · Katherine#186 · Kelly#851 · Kathryn#729 · Kayla#364 · Kathy#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Katee? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Katee and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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