Where does the name Caitlin come from?

Caitlin is a girl name of Irish origin.

Is Caitlin a boy or a girl name?

Caitlin is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 111,944 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Caitlin in 2023?

Caitlin ranks #2290 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1988 with 7,246 babies.

How do you pronounce Caitlin?

Caitlin is pronounced KAYT-lin (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Caitlin?

Caitlin is also written as Kaitlyn, Catelyn, Katelin.

A name from Irish · Girl

Caitlin

Irish form of Katherine — itself from Greek Aikaterinē, traditionally connected to katharos meaning 'pure'. Reached the English-speaking world via medieval French Cateline and surged in 1990s America.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 68-year arc in numbers.

111,944 U.S. births recorded from 1955–2023.

Popularity · 1955–2023

80 births in 2023

1955 1989 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

CIrish form of Katherine — itself from Greek Aikaterinē, traditionally connected to katharos meaning 'pure'. Reached the English-speaking world via medieval French Cateline and surged in 1990s America.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Caitlin".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Kaitlyn Most common Catelyn Katelin

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Caitlin.

C
Caitlin Moran (British author and columnist)
C
Caitlin Clark (basketball player)
C
Caitlyn Jenner (Olympian; variant Caitlyn)

Quick answers

People often ask about Caitlin.

What does the name Caitlin mean?: Caitlin means irish form of Katherine — itself from Greek Aikaterinē, traditionally connected to katharos meaning 'pure'. Reached the English-speaking world via medieval French Cateline and surged in 1990s America.
Where does the name Caitlin come from?: Caitlin is a girl name of Irish origin.
Is Caitlin a boy or a girl name?: Caitlin is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 111,944 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Caitlin in 2023?: Caitlin ranks #2290 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1988 with 7,246 babies.
How do you pronounce Caitlin?: Caitlin is pronounced KAYT-lin (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Caitlin?: Caitlin is also written as Kaitlyn, Catelyn, Katelin.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.