UK girl's name
Katie
A feminine diminutive of Katherine meaning "pure" or "virginal".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Katie is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Katie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #547, with 71 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 4,337 births.
This profile covers 53,185 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 2% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 66,456 living people in the UK are called Katie. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Katie ranked #547 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 71 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 4,337 girls were registered as Katie.
- • Katie ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #1 in 2008.
- • About 66,456 living people in the UK are estimated to have Katie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#547
2024
Births in 2024
71
Latest year
Peak year
1996
4,337 births
Estimated living
66,456
2026
Meaning
What does Katie mean?
The name Katie is a diminutive form of the name Katherine, which has its roots in the Greek name Aikaterine. The name Aikaterine is derived from the Greek phrase "katharos," meaning "pure," and the name Hekaterine, which was the name of the Greek goddess of sorcery and fertility, Hecate. The name Katherine and its variations, including Katie, have been popular throughout Europe and the English-speaking world for centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Katherine dates back to the 4th century AD, when it was used by early Christian saints and martyrs. The name gained popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly after the legend of St. Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th-century Christian martyr, spread throughout Europe.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Katie is in the 16th century, when it was used as a diminutive form of Katherine in England. The name became increasingly popular in the 19th century, particularly in the United States, where it was often used as a nickname for Katherine.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures with the name Katie or a variation of it. One of the most famous is Katie King, an American spiritualist and medium who was born in 1858 and became known for her alleged ability to produce materialized spirit forms during séances.
Another notable Katie is Katie Sandwina, an Austrian strongwoman born in 1884, who was known for her incredible feats of strength, such as lifting horses and lifting a small car with her teeth.
Katie Mulholland, born in 1856, was a Canadian botanist and one of the first female botanists in Canada. She made significant contributions to the study of Canadian flora and was recognized for her work by being elected to the Royal Society of Canada.
Katie Steed, born in 1945, is an American retired athlete who won a gold medal in the high jump at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
Finally, Katie Couric, born in 1957, is an American journalist and author who has been a host on various television news programs, including NBC's Today Show and CBS Evening News.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Katie over time
The chart below shows babies named Katie registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Katie, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 71 births in 2024, compared with 4,337 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Katie by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Katie was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #414 | 558 | 5 |
| 2010s | #111 | 6,755 | 10 |
| 2000s | #16 | 30,104 | 10 |
| 1990s | #14 | 15,768 | 4 |
Geography
Where Katie is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Katie. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Katie ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #1 in 2008.
Across the UK
Katie in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#131 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 9,258 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#47 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 4,450 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Katie
-
Katie Wolfe
cricketer
English cricketer
2001-
-
Katie Spencer
production designer
British set director
2000-
-
Katie Swan
tennis player
British female tennis player
1999-
-
Katie Startup
association football player
English footballer
1999-
-
Katie Zelem
association football player
English footballer
1996-
-
Katie Summerhayes
freestyle skier
British freestyle skier
1995-
-
Katie Wilkinson
association football player
English footballer
1994-
-
Katie Snowden
athletics competitor; middle-distance runner
British middle-distance runner
1994-
Related
Names similar to Katie
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
- Katy 5,121
FAQ
Katie: questions and answers
How popular is the name Katie in the UK right now?
In 2024, Katie was ranked #547 for girls in England and Wales, with 71 births registered.
When was Katie most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 4,337 babies registered as Katie in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Katie?
A feminine diminutive of Katherine meaning "pure" or "virginal".
How many people are called Katie in the UK?
A total of 53,185 babies have been registered as Katie across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 9,258 more in Scotland and 4,450 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Katie most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Katie ranks best in North East, where it placed #1 in 2008. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.