Caitlin

Caitlin: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “pure”
Origin: Irish
Say it: KATE-lin · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Anglicized form of Irish Caitlín, the Irish form of Katherine/Catherine. The ultimate origin is Greek Aikaterine, though its exact ancient etymology is uncertain.

Irish names English names Names meaning pure Classic names International names

How popular is Caitlin?

202436.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Caitlin in 2024121

2024 rank#1,681 girls

Peak year1988

Total US babies since 1880112,351

Caitlin is fading: recent use is about 14% of its level ten years before.

Names like Caitlin

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Catalinapure · Spanish
Katherinepure · Greek
Catherinepure · Greek
Karenpure · Danish
Katiepure · English
Kathrynpure · Greek
Katepure · Greek
Kaitlynmodern spelling of Caitlin · American (modern coinage)

Caitlin questions

What does the name Caitlin mean?

Caitlin means "pure". It comes from Irish. Anglicized form of Irish Caitlín, the Irish form of Katherine/Catherine. The ultimate origin is Greek Aikaterine, though its exact ancient etymology is uncertain.

Is Caitlin a boy or girl name?

Caitlin is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Caitlin?

121 US babies were named Caitlin in 2024. Its peak year was 1988.

How do you pronounce Caitlin?

Caitlin is usually pronounced KATE-lin.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.