NameCensus.
Very Rare

Kater

A German name meaning "male cat" or "tomcat".

Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Kater. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kater today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kater births was 1922 (5 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Kater. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.

Key insights

  • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kater. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

0

~ - Americans

Peak year

1922

5 babies that year

Average age

-

1922 SSA rank

#4,648

Tracked since 1922

Popularity

Kater: popularity over time

Babies born per year

01345

Decades

Kater by decade

The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kater during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1920s505

Origin

Meaning and history of Kater

The given name Kater originates from the German language and is a shortened form of the name Katharina, which is derived from the ancient Greek name Aikaterine. The name Aikaterine is believed to have been derived from the Greek words "katharos," meaning "pure," and "heiros," meaning "sacred" or "holy." This suggests that the name Kater has roots in Greek culture and may have been associated with purity or holiness in its earliest origins.

The earliest recorded use of the name Kater can be traced back to the Middle Ages in German-speaking regions of Europe. During this time, the name was likely a diminutive or nickname form of the more common name Katharina. As the name spread and evolved over time, it became established as a distinct given name in its own right.

One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Kater was Kater von Falckenstein, a German knight who lived in the 14th century. He was a prominent figure during the Hussite Wars, a series of religious conflicts in Bohemia (part of modern-day Czech Republic) between Catholic and Protestant forces.

Another notable individual with the name Kater was Kater Murr, a fictional character created by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann in his novel "The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr." The novel, published in 1819-1821, is a satirical work that intertwines the lives of a tomcat named Murr and a writer, exploring themes of art, society, and human nature.

In the 19th century, Kater Sickinsen was a German-American architect and pioneer in the field of ecclesiastical architecture. He designed numerous churches and religious buildings in the United States, contributing significantly to the development of church architecture in the country.

Moving into the 20th century, Kater Knudsen was a Norwegian-American engineer and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of the loudspeaker and the electronic hearing aid. He was born in 1882 and passed away in 1959.

Another notable figure with the name Kater was Kater Sickert, a British painter and printmaker who lived from 1900 to 1942. He was part of the avant-garde art scene in London and is known for his contributions to the development of modern British art.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Kater. While the name may have originated from a diminutive form of Katharina, it has since become a distinct and respected given name in its own right, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage and historical significance.

People

Kater + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Kater as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with K

Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Kater: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Kater?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kater going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.

Is Kater a common name?

We classify Kater as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Kater most popular?

The single biggest year for Kater was 1922, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kater is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kater in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Kater a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kater in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.

Is Kater still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Kater in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.

Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kater can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.

Where does this data come from?

First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.

How many people share the name Kater?

Want to know how many people have the name Kater? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.

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