Caitlin is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Caitlin means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Caitlin across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Caitlin has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Caitlin is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “pure”. an Irish form related to Katherine.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 112,426 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 28,887 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 6,986 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 2,894 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 2,816 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 3,370 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 Caitlin per year, United States (1955 to 2025). United States peaked in 1988 (7,274/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2003 (2,277/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1998 (580/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1999 (250/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2003 (192/yr).
Caitlin has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1988, when it ranked #101 nationally (given to 7,292 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1980s.
Kaitlyn · Kaitlin · Caitlyn · Catalina · Katlyn · Kaitlynn · Katelin · Katlin
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