Caelan
Meaning "slender, warrior" of Celtic origin.
Name Census estimates that about 3,044 living Americans carry the first name Caelan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Caelan today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caelan births was 2001 (174 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caelan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
3.0K
~ 1 in 112,600 Americans
Peak year
2001
174 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,330
Tracked since 1990
Gender
Gender distribution for Caelan
Caelan is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 3,085 total registrations, 2,426 (78.6%) were male and 659 (21.4%) were female.
Caelan as a male name
- Ranked #3,330 in 2024
- 35 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2001 (135 births)
Caelan as a female name
- Ranked #11,353 in 2023
- 8 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2003 (75 births)
Popularity
Caelan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caelan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,346 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caelan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caelan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Caelans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Caelan, while Massachusetts, Utah, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caelan
The name Caelan is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic word "caol" meaning "slender" or "thin". It is believed to have originated in the 5th or 6th century AD when Gaelic culture flourished in Ireland.
The earliest recorded example of the name Caelan dates back to the 7th century AD. It was the name of an Irish saint and scholar, Caelan of Inishcaltra, who lived on the island of Inishcaltra in Lough Derg, County Galway. He is said to have established a monastic school on the island and was known for his wisdom and learning.
Another notable figure in history with the name Caelan was Caelan mac Aillila, a 7th-century Irish king of the Uí Cheinnselaig dynasty. He ruled over the territory of South Leinster and is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history.
In the 9th century, Caelan mac Ailella was an Irish abbot and scribe who lived at the monastery of Iona in Scotland. He is known for his calligraphy and is believed to have transcribed several important manuscripts during his lifetime.
During the Middle Ages, Caelan was the name of a 12th-century Irish bishop and poet. Caelan of Loughcrew served as the Bishop of Ardagh and is remembered for his religious writings and poetry.
In more recent times, Caelan O'Connor was an Irish writer and journalist born in 1920. He authored several books and worked as a newspaper editor, contributing to the literary and cultural life of Ireland in the 20th century.
While the name Caelan has its roots in ancient Irish history and culture, it has also gained popularity in modern times, particularly in Ireland and among Irish communities around the world. However, its usage remains relatively uncommon compared to more widely known Irish names.
People
Caelan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caelan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caelan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caelan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,044 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caelan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 112,600 US residents.
Is Caelan a common name?
We classify Caelan as "Rare". It ranks above 95.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,085 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caelan most popular?
The single biggest year for Caelan was 2001, when 174 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caelan is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Caelan a male name?
Yes, 78.6% of people registered as Caelan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.