Kaitlin
Kaitlin was the 4114th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 35 babies. Its best year was 1994, when it ranked 93rd; the most babies were born in 1995 (3,602). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,782 places. More babies were named Kaitlin in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kaitlyn) spelling of Caitlin (Irish Catherine) · Irish, French, Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #4,114 girls, down 805 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 35girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19953,602 babies
- Total since 1880
- 57,430babies recorded
What does the name Kaitlin mean?
Kaitlin 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)
Kaitlin popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 75 since 1984.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,114 | 35 |
| 2020 | #3,309 | 47 |
| 2010 | #663 | 441 |
| 2000 | #158 | 2,136 |
| 1990 | #101 | 3,472 |
| 1980 | #1,056 | 135 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kaitlin, counting every spelling?
Kaitlin is a spelling of Kaitlyn, a name family that ranked #512 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,114 for Kaitlin 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 Kaitlin?
35 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kaitlin (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kaitlin 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 240 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kaitlin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kaitlin?
About 56,200 people born in the US named Kaitlin are alive today, with a median age of 32; half are between 27 and 36. That makes Kaitlin 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.
Kaitlin by state
How common Kaitlin was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 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 Kaitlin: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kaitlin, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kaitlin
What does Kaitlin mean?
Kaitlin is a spelling of Kaitlyn, usually explained as “spelling of Caitlin (Irish Catherine)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Kaitlin?
Kaitlin was the 4114th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 35 babies. Its best year was 1994, when it ranked 93rd; the most babies were born in 1995 (3,602). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,782 places. More babies were named Kaitlin in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Kaitlin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kaitlin in the US.
Where is Kaitlin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kaitlin was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 girls).