Given name & surname
Kat
“one who is pure; virginal”
In English use, Kat is a diminutive of Katherine. In Greek use, Katherine carries the interpretation “one who is pure; virginal.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Kat is a diminutive of Katherine. In Greek use, Katherine carries the interpretation “one who is pure; virginal.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Kat is a diminutive of Katharine.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2007. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Kat is a diminutive of Katherine. The history of Katherine gives this family its wider story. Katherine’s historical associations include Catherine de’ Medici, wife of King Henry II and regent.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Kat through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 45
- 0 boys · 45 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 9 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 7 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9 in 2007. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,432 as a first name in 2020; 271 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kat’s family of names
In English usage, Kat is a diminutive of Katherine. In Greek usage, Kat is a transliteration of Κατ. Kat has a related form in Katherine.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kat
- Kat DenningsAmerican actress (born 1986)
- Kat DeLunaAmerican singerborn 1987
- Kat Von DMexican-American tattoo artist and television personalityborn 1982
- Kat BjellandAmerican rock musicianborn 1963
- Kat DahliaAmerican singer and rapperborn 1990
- Kat CammackAmerican politician (born 1988)
- Kat BlaqueAmerican YouTube personality and transgender rights activistborn 1990
- Kat AshleyEnglish courtier (d. 1565)
- Kat AbughazalehAmerican journalist and political candidate (born 1999)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kat, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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