Kato
Masculine · “second-born twin”
Kato is Japanese for the Kato clan and a Luganda name for the second-born twin — two unrelated sources.
How old is the name Kato?
Kato first appears in US birth records in 1914 — 111 years ago. The typical Kato is a kid of about 9 — this name's wave is very recent. About 800 people named Kato are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kato most popular?
Kato peaked in 2022, reaching #2438 nationally. Today it ranks #2641, 203 places below that high. See the whole 2022 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Kato
Buganda tradition names twins by birth order — Wasswa for the first male twin, Kato for the second — and the names are fixed by custom rather than chosen. Japanese Katō is among the commonest surnames there, from the Fujiwara clan and Kaga province. Both routes reach American records, where the name is in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
second-born twin; increase and wisteria
Two genuine sources. The Luganda Kato, given to the second of male twins in Buganda tradition. And the Japanese surname Katō, 加藤, from characters meaning 'increase' and 'wisteria'. Both are documented and neither is a source for the other.
Pronouncing Kato
KAH-toh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Japanese Katō lengthens the second vowel.
Nicknames for Kato
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
- 1914
- Most boys named
- 202257 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2438reached in 2022
- Change vs 2024
- +6.5%49 in 2025, from 46
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.
Kato in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Kato in Luganda — same name
- 加藤 in Japanese — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Arizona.
Katos among us
people named Kato are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 34,859 born in 2025 was named Kato
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Kato
- #2641
- Kato on the 2025 chart
- #834
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Kato went to 49 boys in 2025, but Cato is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 94, which makes it the 834th most-given boys’ name of the year — 1,807 places above the chart.
- Kato49
- Cato45
About 1 boy in 18,171 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 34,859 for Kato itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Zan test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Kato's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Zan climbed just as high around 1950, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Zan's path sketches the road Kato is walking now.
Kato 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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Kato is headed
Kato should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Kato beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Kato in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That Buganda fixes twins' names by birth order is a first-rate fact.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It works across Ugandan and Japanese contexts.
- The two origins are entirely unrelated.
- In Buganda it belongs specifically to a second-born twin.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Kato to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Kato? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Kato
Masculine · #2641 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Katos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Kato are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Kato?
- Kato is the most-used spelling in US records — 49 of the 94 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Cato.
- How popular is the name Kato in 2025?
- Kato ranks #2641 among US boy names in 2025, with 49 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Kato?
- About 1 in every 34,859 US boys born in 2025 was named Kato — 49 in all.
- Will my child share the name Kato with classmates?
- Kato will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Kato
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Keylor#2641 · Kaycee#2641 · Daelyn#2641 · Judge#2641 · Herbert#2641 · Ely#2641 · Giacomo#2641 · Coda#2641
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kato? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kato and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle