Caitlin
Caitlin was the 2333rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 78 babies. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked 44th with 7,246 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,723 places. More babies were named Caitlin in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kaitlyn) spelling of Caitlin (Irish Catherine) · Irish, French, Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #2,333 girls, down 539 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 78girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19887,246 babies
- Total since 1880
- 112,426babies recorded
What does the name Caitlin mean?
Caitlin is a spelling of Kaitlyn, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kaitlyn's meaning and origin.
Kaitlyn is one of the modern American spellings of Caitlin, which Wiktionary describes as the Irish equivalent of Catherine. Irish Caitlín came from Old French Cateline, reshaped with the Irish diminutive ending -ín. Catherine itself goes back to Greek Aikaterine, which DMNES calls of uncertain origin; the link with Greek katharos, pure, is a later association that DMNES rejects. US records show Kaitlyn from the early 1970s, with its peak around 2000.
Caitlín (Irish, “Catherine”)Αἰκατερίνη (Ancient Greek, “Katherine (origin uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Meaning only through Catherine, whose origin DMNES calls uncertain.
Other explanations you may read: Means 'pure' (Greek katharos). DMNES says Katherine is unrelated to that word..
Related names: Caitlin, Katelyn, Catherine, Kate, Katie.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kaitlyn' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Caitlín' (Irish section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Caitlin popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 283 since 1981.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,333 | 78 |
| 2020 | #1,794 | 110 |
| 2010 | #339 | 945 |
| 2000 | #76 | 4,102 |
| 1990 | #50 | 7,026 |
| 1980 | #365 | 646 |
| 1970 | #1,155 | 100 |
| 1960 | #3,224 | 15 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Caitlin, counting every spelling?
Caitlin is a spelling of Kaitlyn, a name family that ranked #512 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,333 for Caitlin on its own. Together these spellings went to 593 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaitlyn | 340 | #802 | 2,266 |
| Caitlyn | 71 | #2,492 | 502 |
| Caitlin | 78 | #2,333 | 450 |
| Kaitlynn | 41 | #3,676 | 246 |
| Kaitlin | 35 | #4,114 | 154 |
| Caitlynn | 11 | #8,971 | 55 |
| Kaytlyn | 6 | #14,061 | 53 |
| Kaytlin | — | — | 45 |
| Keitlyn | 11 | #9,166 | 35 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Caitlin?
78 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Caitlin (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Caitlin born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 108 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Caitlin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Caitlin?
About 109,700 people born in the US named Caitlin are alive today, with a median age of 33; half are between 26 and 37. That makes Caitlin mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Caitlin by state
How common Caitlin was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 39 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Caitlin: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Caitlin, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Caitlin
What does Caitlin mean?
Caitlin is a spelling of Kaitlyn, usually explained as “spelling of Caitlin (Irish Catherine)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Caitlin?
Caitlin was the 2333rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 78 babies. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked 44th with 7,246 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,723 places. More babies were named Caitlin in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Caitlin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Caitlin in the US.
Where is Caitlin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Caitlin was most common in Iowa (0.10 per 1,000 girls), followed by New York and Tennessee.