The dreaded "Kate"

Sassee · May 6, 2007

Alright, I've heard this a few times on the forums since joining. "Kate" (or any variation thereof) is apparently a very common name for the female protagonist, and is generally considered cliche. What I want to know is... where are all these novels or stories with "Kate" in them?

I go through Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Romance like there is no tomorrow, and I've come across very few Kates in either genre. Actually, I can only think of one, but I don't even remember the title and would have to search my bookshelves for a while to find it. Is it a more common name amongst other genres, such as chic-lit or YA, or is it just a common occurance in the submitted works on these boards? What are all the published books I've missed with "Kate" as the main female protagonist?

And, finally... would you actually think twice about reading a book if the main character was named Kate? Is it that annoying?

~ Thanks in advance from your resident Ninja ~

(side note: in case you're wondering, yes, I did name my protagonist "Kate," however that was before I knew it was tiresome. damn it.)

Ol' Fashioned Girl · May 6, 2007

Not tiresome to me, Sassee.

Go ahead and name her 'Kate'!

Shady Lane · May 6, 2007

My first thought is, naturally, An Abundance of Katherines, about a boy who's dated fourteen girls named Katherine.

Wuthering Heights comes to mind as well.

My female protag is named Caitlin...so I'm not much help. Her nickname's Cat, though.

wyntermoon · May 6, 2007

Gotta tell you, I love the name Kate. It wouldn't bother me at all to see it in a novel.

Claudia Gray · May 6, 2007

I've seen a lot of Kates (and Katelyns, and Caitlins, and Katie, etc.). Way too many. It sort of is overkill at this point. Would I not read a book because the heroine was named Kate? Of course not -- but I get the sense that some agents and editors out there, who have seen more Kates than I can ever imagine, sort of groan when they see it again. Why set yourself up for that?

That said, there's a Kate in Evernight, but she's a relatively minor character.

Soccer Mom · May 6, 2007

The Julie Kenner Demon Hunter books (Carpe Demon, California Demon, etc..) have a Kate.

But I like the name and wouldn't put down a book because of it.

scarletpeaches · May 6, 2007

Putting down a book because the protagonist is called Kate makes as much sense to me as putting it down because it has a prologue.

Devil Ledbetter · May 6, 2007

I've never put a book down because the protagonist's name was Kate, but I have rolled my eyes and thought "ugh, not another Kate." The problem with Kate is, it's the perfect name: sporty yet old-fashioned, decidely feminine yet not frail, lots of nicknames and ways to spell it (Cate, K8, what have you). I'm sure this is how it got overdone in the first place.

Here are just a few:

Nick Hornby's How To Be Good

Alison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It

Alice Walkers The Gift of the Grandmother's Spirit

Jennifer Weiner's Goodnight Nobody

If you've got a great story, it's not going to matter much what your protagonist's name is. But knowing that everybody else is doing something, whatever that something is, makes me want to avoid it.

Higgins · May 6, 2007

Never enough Kates

Devil Ledbetter said:
I've never put a book down because the protagonist's name was Kate, but I have rolled my eyes and thought "ugh, not another Kate." The problem with Kate is, it's the perfect name: sporty yet old-fashioned, decidely feminine yet not frail, lots of nicknames and ways to spell it (Cate, K8, what have you). I'm sure this is how it got overdone in the first place.

Here are just a few:

Nick Hornby's How To Be Good

Alison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It

Alice Walkers The Gift of the Grandmother's Spirit

Jennifer Weiner's Goodnight Nobody

If you've got a great story, it's not going to matter much what your protagonist's name is. But knowing that everybody else is doing something, whatever that something is, makes me want to avoid it.

Kate seems fine. Now I wonder why I've never used the name.

For the most part names don't make me get rid of books...its the best-seller style character-intro that makes me groan and go else where:

"Major Pat "Rinker" Toolerson had a way with goggles." (christ, this is already better than what I'm mocking! I give up). "And a third eye on a stalk." (I have to stop.)

scarletpeaches · May 6, 2007

I have an idea in mind and one of the characters seemed to be a Kate...but I may change it now. Personally I like the name BUT...if people roll their eyes at 'another Kate' there's no point shooting myself in the foot by p*ssing off potential readers when another name would do just as well.

I wouldn't abandon a book based on a character's name but if other people would and the name doesn't matter all that much (to me at least) then I'd be willing to alter it slightly.

Devil Ledbetter · May 6, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
I have an idea in mind and one of the characters seemed to be a Kate...but I may change it now. Personally I like the name BUT...if people roll their eyes at 'another Kate' there's no point shooting myself in the foot by p*ssing off potential readers when another name would do just as well.

Oh, it's not people rolling their eyes, just some crank in Michigan. Name your protag Kate if that's her name.

"Major Pat "Rinker" Toolerson had a way with goggles." (christ, this is already better than what I'm mocking! I give up). "And a third eye on a stalk." (I have to stop.)

Mel · May 6, 2007

That's my mom's name, shortened from Kathryn, so, yeah, it's a good name.

Kristin Landon · May 6, 2007

I've always liked the name, for all the reasons given plus Kate Hepburn. But I have a Kate in my family, so I'd never use it in a book anyway.

janetbellinger · May 6, 2007

There's nothing wrong with Kate for a name in my opinion. Better that than some flash in the pan spelling of a name like Brandee.

kristie911 · May 6, 2007

Devil Ledbetter said:
Oh, it's not people rolling their eyes, just some crank in Michigan. Name your protag Kate if that's her name.

HEY! I would never roll my eyes at the name Kate. I happen to like it.

Or are you talking about the other crank in Michigan 'cuz people confuse us all the time.

Devil Ledbetter · May 7, 2007

kristie911 said:
HEY! I would never roll my eyes at the name Kate. I happen to like it.

Or are you talking about the other crank in Michigan 'cuz people confuse us all the time.

People from Michigan all look alike.

Plot Device · May 7, 2007

In scriptwriting, it usually works against you if ANY character (primary or secondary or tertiary) was a name that's just too long. Six letters per name and less is always good.

John
Brian
Brad
Gary
Sam
Ed
Bill
Paul
Diane
Cindy

So names like Penelope and Bartholomew and Gwendolyn and Persephone and Alexander are way too long and will work against you during the writing process (sometimes an entire extra hard-return slips in to a paragraph when someone's name is too long, making your script longer, and I know that seems silly, but when it happens 300 or 400 times during the course of a script, that's 5 or 6 extra pages of script length). And they're so long they can slow down the action--too many syllables! Talk about a drag! By the time the hero has shouted out his loved one's name the evil villain has already escaped and blown up the island.

Also in scriptwriting, it's good to pick a name with a biting egde to it, and very fierce consonant sounds:

Dirk
Brent
Rock
Scott
Mitch
Parker

So Kate has a biting edge to it. She sounds like she could kick some serious butt.

I dunno about novels though.

seun · May 7, 2007

Would anyone really stop reading a book because of a name? That's just bonkers.

ccarver30 · May 7, 2007

Devil Ledbetter said:
People from Michigan all look alike.

Hey, no ripping on my fellow Michigander! (It does suck though.)

Namatu · May 7, 2007

Devil Ledbetter said:
People from Michigan all look alike.

What if we move out of the state?

Devil Ledbetter · May 7, 2007

ccarver30 said:
Hey, no ripping on my fellow Michigander! (It does suck though.)

Oh, boy. Writers and their egos. The crank from Michigan can't even be self-deprecating without writers assuming she meant them, and getting offended. :tongue

There are so many of us from Michigan, we deserve our own forum. Where we could talk about ... um ... I got nothin'.

Jenan Mac · May 7, 2007

seun said:
Would anyone really stop reading a book because of a name? That's just bonkers.

No, but one time when I was trying to decide between two paperbacks I end up leaning toward the one whose heroine's name was the same as my daughter's. Once you get past Steinbeck, there are precious few Abras out there, and I had to give points for not going with the obvious Melissa, Christina, etc.
I remember absolutely nothing else about the book, though, so it's probably just as well she gave her heroine an unusual name.

Kate Thornton · May 7, 2007

I'm a Kate.

I love the name - I took it when I joined the Army and "Kathy" seemed so limp. (I'm a Kathleen Gean, from my Irish forbears and named for Kathy Fiscus, who died after falling into a well in 1949)

I read a lot - but have not encountered too many "Kates" - It's a solid, honest, no-nonsense, let me kick your ass and make you laugh name, so the character needs to have those traits. No wilting lillies are named Kate.

So go for it. Other good names: Jane, Nancy, Betty, Joan.

Jenan Mac · May 7, 2007

ClaudiaGray said:
I've seen a lot of Kates (and Katelyns, and Caitlins, and Katie, etc.). Way too many. It sort of is overkill at this point.

One of my characters is a teenaged girl named Katherine. She's been called Katie by her parents but renames herself to stand out from the crowd. (Parenthetically, there are 6 or 7 Katies out of about 125 kids in my daughter's grade at school. When I graduated, about half the class was either Anne, Catherine, Sarah, or Elizabeth. Guess some names just wear well.)

maestrowork · May 7, 2007

Kate's a nice name. Is it cliched? I don't know. But I'd bet if you pick any name, you'd find it in many different books.

And judging from real life (there are a lot of Kates, etc. including celebrities: Kate Winslet, Kate Beckinsale, Cate Blanchett, Katherine Zeta-Jones, Katie Curic, Kathy Bates... to name just a few) and on AW, I don't see any problem with a character with such a name. If the name fits.

I've read a ton of books lately and haven't encountered a Kate/Cate/Katherine/etc. yet. Except mine, of course.

So I don't think they're overused either.

What I can't stand is made-up names just to be cute or different.

The dreaded "Kate"

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