Given name
Cait
“one who is pure; virginal”
Cait is a variant of Catherine. One English interpretation is “one who is pure; virginal.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Cait is a variant of Catherine. One English interpretation is “one who is pure; virginal.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Cait is a diminutive of Caitlin. In English usage, Cait is a diminutive of Caitlyn.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2000. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cait through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 153
- 0 boys · 153 girls
- Most popular year
- 2005
- 16 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2022. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 16 in 2005. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 558 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cait’s family of names
In English usage, Cait is a diminutive of Caitlin. Cait has a related form in Catherine. In English usage, Cait is a diminutive of Caitlyn.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.