Given name
Caitlyn
“one who is pure; virginal”
Caitlyn is a variant of Catherine. One English interpretation is “one who is pure; virginal.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Caitlyn is a variant of Catherine. One English interpretation is “one who is pure; virginal.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1968. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Caitlyn through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 52,637
- 34 boys · 52,603 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 2,943 babies
- 2025
- 71
- #2,492 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −50%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 71 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,492 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 50.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 2,937 in 1998. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 48,237 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.
Caitlyn’s family of names
In English usage, Caitlyn has a diminutive in Cait. Caitlyn has a related form in Catherine. In German usage, Caitlyn has a related form in Lynn.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Caitlyn
- Caitlyn JennerAmerican media personality and retired decathleteborn 1949
- Caitlyn Taylor LoveAmerican actress and singerborn 1994
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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