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Catlin

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Catlin

Pronounced KAT-lin /ˈkæt.lɪn/High

Meaning: As a boy's name Catlin comes from the English surname Catlin (also spelled Catlett), a family name carried as a first name in the American tradition of turning surnames into given names. It is separate from the modern girl's name Caitlin, which comes from the Irish form of Katherine.Medium

In 30 seconds: Catlin, for a boy, is an English surname used as a first name — a surname-style choice distinct from the girls' Caitlin. It saw modest use around the 1980s.

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Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningAs a boy's name Catlin comes from the English surname Catlin (also spelled Catlett), a family name carried as a first name in the American tradition of turning surnames into given names. It is separate from the modern girl's name Caitlin, which comes from the Irish form of Katherine.

U.S. rank (2006)#12336 ↘ Falling

2006 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1985

Total births (all-time)≈ 446

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

Catlin as a boy's name draws on the English surname Catlin, a variant of Catlett, carried into first-name use through the long American habit of adopting family surnames as given names. This masculine Catlin is distinct in origin from the girls' name Caitlin, the Irish form of Katherine — the two simply share a spelling. Its meaning is that of a heritage surname rather than a translated word.

The boy's Catlin saw modest use that edged up in the 1980s, borne by a few hundred boys in all before receding. Because the identical spelling reads as a girl's name to most Americans, it stayed rare for boys. A Catlin named in the eighties is now around forty. It remains an uncommon, surname-flavored choice.

Did you know? The surname Catlin is best known through the American painter George Catlin, famed for his 1830s portraits of Native American life — an example of the family name that this boy's name revives.

Overall data confidence 60%

References — Catlin (surname) — English surname Catlin/Catlett as masculine given name

Variations

CatlettCatlyn

Nicknames

CatLin

Famous Bearers

★George Catlin (1796–1872)
American painter known for his portraits documenting Native American peoples of the Great Plains.

If you like Catlin…

Colton— a same-era surname-style boy's name with a -on close

Dalton— another English surname used as a first name

Kellen— a like two-beat surname-sounding boy's name

Camden— a place-and-surname name in the same modern style

Explore names like Catlin

By themeenglish surname-name 1980s

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Catlin mean?

As a boy's name Catlin is an English surname used as a first name, related to Catlett; it is separate from the girls' Caitlin.

How do you pronounce Catlin?

It's said KAT-lin /ˈkæt.lɪn/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Catlin a boy or girl name?

This entry is the boy's Catlin, a surname-style use; the spelling is far more common as a girl's name.

How popular is Catlin?

Catlin is a rare choice for boys, seen modestly around the nineteen-eighties as a surname-style given name.