Caitlan
Of Celtic origin meaning "pure" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 1,010 living Americans carry the first name Caitlan. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Caitlan today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caitlan births was 1990 (88 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caitlan. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 339,361 Americans
Peak year
1990
88 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2012 SSA rank
#17,369
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Caitlan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caitlan from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 590 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caitlan 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 Caitlan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Caitlans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Caitlan, while South Carolina, Oregon, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caitlan
The name Caitlan is a feminine variant of the Gaelic name Caitlín, which is derived from the Irish Gaedhilic name Caillín. This name traces its roots back to the Old Irish word "caille," meaning "veil" or "covering." Caillín was originally a pet form of the name Caillech, meaning "veiled one" or "nun."
The name Caitlín emerged in Ireland during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. It was a popular name among Irish families, particularly in the western regions of the country. The spelling variations of Caitlan likely arose as an Anglicized version of the original Gaelic name, reflecting the influence of English language and culture on Irish naming traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caitlan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a woman named Caitlín Ní Dhomhnaill, who lived in the 16th century and was the wife of the Lord of Tír Chonaill.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Caitlan or its variants. One such figure was Caitlín Ní Uallacháin (c. 1680 - c. 1740), an Irish poet and noblewoman from County Limerick, renowned for her contributions to the Irish literary tradition.
Another notable Caitlan was Caitlín Bean Uí Chonaire (1856 - 1924), an Irish language scholar and educator who played a significant role in preserving and promoting the Irish language and culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the realm of sports, Caitlan Bassett (born 1989) is an Australian netball player who has represented the Australian national team, the Diamonds, and has won multiple championships with various domestic and international teams.
Caitlan Gerard (born 1988) is an American actress known for her roles in various television series and films, including "Insidious: The Last Key" and "Daisy Jones & The Six."
Caitlan Coleman (born 1985) is an American woman who gained international attention in 2017 when she and her family were rescued from captivity by the Taliban in Afghanistan, where they had been held hostage for five years.
It's worth noting that while the name Caitlan has its origins in Irish culture, it has gained popularity and usage across various regions and cultures over time, particularly in English-speaking countries.
People
Caitlan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caitlan 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
Caitlan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caitlan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,010 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caitlan 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 339,361 US residents.
Is Caitlan a common name?
We classify Caitlan as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,047 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caitlan most popular?
The single biggest year for Caitlan was 1990, when 88 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caitlan is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Caitlan a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caitlan in the SSA data are female. 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.