Cailin is a girl name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Cailin means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Cailin across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Cailin has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Cailin is a girl name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “girl, or variant of Caitlin”. From the Irish word for girl, also a respelling of Caitlin.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 3,743 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 150 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 68 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 34 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 93 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Cailin per year, United States (1968 to 2025). United States peaked in 1998 (169/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2004 (15/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1996 (7/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2010 (7/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1998 (7/yr).
Cailin is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1998, when it ranked #1,970 nationally (given to 186 babies that year).
Colin · Collin · Callan · Kailani · Kaelyn · Galen · Kaylin · Kailyn
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