Kaitlyn
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "pure" or "limpid stream".
Name Census estimates that about 162,660 living Americans carry the first name Kaitlyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kaitlyn today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaitlyn births was 2000 (8,771 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaitlyn. 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
- • Although Kaitlyn is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 232 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1990s, recent registration numbers for Kaitlyn have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
163K
~ 1 in 2,107 Americans
Peak year
2000
8,771 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2009 SSA rank
#652
Tracked since 1971
Gender
Gender distribution for Kaitlyn
Out of the 166,573 babies given the name Kaitlyn since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Kaitlyn as a male name
- Ranked #13,470 in 2009
- 5 male births in 2009
- Peak: 2004 (35 births)
Kaitlyn as a female name
- Ranked #652 in 2024
- 450 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2000 (8,759 births)
Popularity
Kaitlyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaitlyn from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 67,647 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
Kaitlyn 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 Kaitlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaitlyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Kaitlyn, while District of Columbia, Wyoming, Vermont recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 3,246 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaitlyn
The name Kaitlyn has its roots in the Gaelic language, originating from the ancient Celtic regions of Britain and Ireland. It is a modern variant of the traditional Scottish name Caitlin, which itself is derived from the ancient Irish Gaelic name Caitlín.
Caitlín is thought to be a diminutive form of the Irish Gaelic name Caitríona, which means "pure" or "virtuous." This name can be traced back to the early medieval period in Ireland, where it was likely used as a Gaelic translation of the Latin name Catharina, derived from the Greek word "katharos" meaning "pure."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caitlín dates back to the 16th century, where it appears in Irish genealogical records and historical documents. The name gained popularity in Scotland during the Middle Ages, and variants such as Caitlin and Kaitlyn began to emerge in the English-speaking world over time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kaitlyn or its variants. One of the earliest recorded was Kaitlyn O'Neil, an Irish noblewoman who lived in the 16th century and was known for her involvement in the Irish Confederate Wars. Another was Kaitlyn MacGregor, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the 17th century and published a collection of poems titled "The Thistle and the Rose."
In more recent history, Kaitlyn Bristowe, an American television personality and former contestant on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," was born in 1985. Kaitlyn Jones, an American singer and songwriter, was born in 1992 and has released several albums. Kaitlyn Lawes, a Canadian curler, was born in 1988 and won gold medals in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.
Caitlin Doughty, an American mortician, author, and YouTube personality, was born in 1984 and is known for her advocacy for death acceptance and her work in promoting a more open and honest discussion about death and dying. Kaitlyn Maher, an American actress, was born in 1994 and has appeared in several television shows and films.
People
Kaitlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaitlyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kaitlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaitlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 162,660 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaitlyn 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 2,107 US residents.
Is Kaitlyn a common name?
We classify Kaitlyn as "Common". It ranks above 99.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 166,573 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaitlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaitlyn was 2000, when 8,771 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaitlyn is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kaitlyn a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Kaitlyn 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.