Caitlyn
Caitlyn was the 2492nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 71 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 115th with 2,937 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,894 places. More babies were named Caitlyn in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kaitlyn) spelling of Caitlin (Irish Catherine) · Irish, French, Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #2,492 girls, down 859 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 71girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19982,937 babies
- Total since 1880
- 52,637babies recorded
What does the name Caitlyn mean?
Caitlyn 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)
Caitlyn popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 34 since 1988.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,492 | 71 |
| 2020 | #1,633 | 127 |
| 2010 | #302 | 1,071 |
| 2000 | #118 | 2,835 |
| 1990 | #183 | 1,587 |
| 1980 | #2,312 | 42 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Caitlyn, counting every spelling?
Caitlyn is a spelling of Kaitlyn, a name family that ranked #512 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,492 for Caitlyn 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 Caitlyn?
71 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Caitlyn (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Caitlyn 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 118 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Caitlyn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Caitlyn?
About 51,800 people born in the US named Caitlyn are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 21 and 32. That makes Caitlyn mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Caitlyn by state
How common Caitlyn was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 36 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 Caitlyn: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Caitlyn, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Caitlyn
What does Caitlyn mean?
Caitlyn is a spelling of Kaitlyn, usually explained as “spelling of Caitlin (Irish Catherine)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Caitlyn?
Caitlyn was the 2492nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 71 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 115th with 2,937 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,894 places. More babies were named Caitlyn in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Caitlyn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Caitlyn in the US.
Where is Caitlyn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Caitlyn was most common in Mississippi (0.11 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arkansas and Texas.