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Caitlin

♀ Girl

Pronounced KAYT-lin /ˈkeɪt.lɪn/Medium

Meaning: The Irish form of Catherine, ultimately from Greek 'katharos' meaning 'pure'.Medium

In 30 seconds: Caitlin is the Irish form of Catherine, which goes back to the Greek 'katharos', meaning 'pure'.

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Origin MediumIrish, Greek

MeaningThe Irish form of Catherine, ultimately from Greek 'katharos' meaning 'pure'.

U.S. rank (2025)#2333 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births78 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1988

Total births (all-time)≈ 112,146

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Ireland reshaped Catherine into Caitlin, keeping the ancient Greek sense of 'pure' at its heart. The name traveled widely from there, picking up spellings like Caitlyn and Kaitlin as it spread through the English-speaking world. The accented Caitlín preserves the original Irish styling.

Cathleen and Kathleen are close cousins, all flowering from the same Catherine root. The differences are mostly in spelling and pronunciation rather than meaning.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Caitlin is 'origin uncertain', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.

Overall data confidence 78%

Behind the Name - Caitlin — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

CaitlínCathleenKathleenCaitlynKaitlin

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

★Caitlin Clark (2002-)
American WNBA basketball star and NCAA all-time leading scorer
★Caitlyn Jenner (1949-)
American Olympic gold-medal decathlete and television personality
★Caitlin Moran (1975-)
British journalist and author of How to Be a Woman
★Caitlin Stasey (1990-)
Australian actress known for Neighbours and Reign
★Caitlin FitzGerald (1983-)
American actress known for Masters of Sex

If you like Caitlin…

Catherine— The name Caitlin is the Irish form of.

Kathleen— An anglicized relative from the same Catherine root.

Devin— shares Caitlin's Irish roots

Casey— shares Caitlin's Irish roots

Carson— a similarly popular pick

Explore names like Caitlin

By themeenglish irish

By meaningPurity

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Caitlin mean?

Caitlin is usually explained as meaning 'origin uncertain' and is most often linked with Irish tradition.

How do you pronounce Caitlin?

It's commonly said KAYT-lin /ˈkeɪt.lɪn/.

Is Caitlin a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Caitlin is used as a girl name.

How popular is Caitlin?

In 2024, Caitlin ranked #1679 in the U.S. for girls, with 121 births recorded.