Caitlyn is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Caitlyn means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Caitlyn across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Caitlyn has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Caitlyn is a girl name of Irish (Gaelic) origin meaning “pure”. A modern spelling of Caitlin, an Irish form of Katherine.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 52,637 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 5,308 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,189 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 223 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 246 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 454 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 Caitlyn per year, United States (1968 to 2025). United States peaked in 1998 (2,943/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2005 (353/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1998 (95/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2004 (19/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2005 (17/yr).
Caitlyn has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1998, when it ranked #246 nationally (given to 3,207 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1990s.
Kaitlyn · Caitlin · Katelyn · Kaitlin · Katlyn · Kaitlynn · Katlin · Caitlynn
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