Catelyn
A feminine name derived from the Greek Aithaleia, meaning "pure, bright, fair one".
Name Census estimates that about 2,246 living Americans carry the first name Catelyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Catelyn today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Catelyn births was 2006 (108 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Catelyn. 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
2.2K
~ 1 in 152,607 Americans
Peak year
2006
108 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,692
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Catelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Catelyn from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 918 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
Catelyn 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 Catelyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Catelyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. California, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Catelyn, while Virginia, South Carolina, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Catelyn
The name Catelyn has its origins in the ancient Greek language. It is a feminine form of the name Catelius, which was derived from the Greek word "katharos," meaning "pure" or "clear." The name's earliest known use dates back to the 5th century BCE in ancient Greece.
Catelyn was a popular name among the upper classes of Greek society, as it was seen as a name that conveyed virtue and nobility. The name was often given to daughters of influential families, and it was associated with grace, purity, and refinement.
In the 1st century CE, the name Catelyn appeared in several ancient texts and historical records. One notable example is a reference to a woman named Catelyn in the writings of the Greek historian Plutarch, who lived from around 46 CE to 120 CE.
Over the centuries, the name Catelyn has been borne by several notable historical figures. One of the earliest recorded examples is Catelyn of Alexandria, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century CE. She was renowned for her unwavering faith and was eventually executed for refusing to renounce her beliefs.
In the Middle Ages, Catelyn was a relatively common name in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions influenced by Greek culture and language. One prominent bearer of the name was Catelyn of Siena, an Italian philosopher and theologian who lived from 1347 to 1380. She was known for her writings on mysticism and her advocacy for peace and unity within the Church.
During the Renaissance period, Catelyn was a name favored by the aristocracy and upper classes. One notable example is Catelyn Cornaro, a Venetian noblewoman who lived from 1454 to 1510. She was the last Queen of Cyprus and played a significant role in the island's political and cultural life.
In more recent history, Catelyn has been the name of several influential women, including Catelyn Sedgwick, an American author and educator who lived from 1789 to 1867. She was a prominent figure in the early American literary scene and was known for her works on domestic life and moral instruction.
Another notable bearer of the name was Catelyn Graham, a British suffragette and women's rights activist who lived from 1858 to 1932. She was a tireless campaigner for women's suffrage and played a crucial role in the movement that eventually secured voting rights for women in the United Kingdom.
People
Catelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Catelyn 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
Catelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Catelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,246 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Catelyn 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 152,607 US residents.
Is Catelyn a common name?
We classify Catelyn as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,294 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Catelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Catelyn was 2006, when 108 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Catelyn is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Catelyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Catelyn 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.