Caoilainn
A feminine Irish name meaning "slender", "slim", or "graceful".
Name Census estimates that about 90 living Americans carry the first name Caoilainn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Caoilainn today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caoilainn births was 2013 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caoilainn. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Caoilainn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
90
~ 1 in 3,808,382 Americans
Peak year
2013
15 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2016 SSA rank
#16,742
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Caoilainn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caoilainn from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 48 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caoilainn 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 Caoilainn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caoilainn
The given name Caoilainn is an Irish Gaelic name that has its origins dating back to the early medieval period in Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic words 'caol', meaning slender or thin, and 'fionn', meaning fair or white. The name translates to 'slender and fair' or 'slender and white'.
Caoilainn was a popular name among the ancient Celtic tribes of Ireland, particularly in the regions of Munster and Connacht. It was often given to newborn girls who were perceived to have a delicate or slender physical appearance. The name was also associated with beauty and grace, reflecting the cultural values and ideals of the time.
While there are no direct references to the name Caoilainn in ancient Irish texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented in various historical records and genealogies. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Caoilainn. One such figure was Caoilainn Ní Cheallaigh (1292-1367), a renowned Irish noblewoman and chieftain of the Uí Cheallaigh clan in County Sligo. She played a significant role in the Irish campaigns against the Anglo-Norman invasions during the 14th century.
Another notable Caoilainn was Caoilainn Ní Dhomhnaill (1563-1627), a member of the powerful O'Donnell dynasty in Ulster. She was a skilled poet and patron of the arts, known for her patronage of bards and scholars during the Gaelic literary revival of the 16th century.
In the 18th century, Caoilainn Ní Mhurchadha (1712-1789) was a prominent Irish harpist and composer from County Cork. She was renowned for her mastery of the traditional Irish harp and her contributions to the preservation of ancient Gaelic music.
Caoilainn Nic Giolla Bhríde (1851-1928) was a celebrated Irish language scholar and teacher from County Donegal. She played a crucial role in the preservation and promotion of the Irish language during the Gaelic Revival of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Lastly, Caoilainn Ní Chonaire (1905-1982) was a notable Irish writer and translator from County Kerry. She was best known for her translations of works by prominent authors such as Oscar Wilde and James Joyce into the Irish language, contributing to the preservation and promotion of Irish literature.
People
Caoilainn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caoilainn 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
Caoilainn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caoilainn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 90 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caoilainn 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 3,808,382 US residents.
Is Caoilainn a common name?
We classify Caoilainn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 91 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caoilainn most popular?
The single biggest year for Caoilainn was 2013, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caoilainn is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Caoilainn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caoilainn 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.