Katilyn
A feminine name derived from Katherine, meaning "pure" in Greek.
Name Census estimates that about 1,693 living Americans carry the first name Katilyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Katilyn today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katilyn births was 1998 (101 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katilyn. 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
1.7K
~ 1 in 202,454 Americans
Peak year
1998
101 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2019 SSA rank
#14,668
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Katilyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katilyn 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 799 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
Katilyn 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 Katilyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Katilyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Ohio, Tennessee, Texas recorded the most babies named Katilyn, while Virginia, Louisiana, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Katilyn
The name Katilyn is a modern feminine given name derived from the ancient Greek name Katharina, which itself is a combination of the Greek words katharos, meaning "pure," and agnes, meaning "pure" or "virginal." The earliest known use of the name Katharina dates back to the 4th century AD in Christian texts and records.
Over time, the name Katharina evolved and took on various spellings and forms across different cultures and languages. In English-speaking countries, the name Katherine became a popular variation, while in other parts of Europe, names like Caterina (Italian), Catalina (Spanish), and Katarzyna (Polish) emerged.
The name Katilyn is a relatively modern American spelling variation of the traditional Katherine, likely emerging in the late 20th century as parents sought unique and creative ways to spell classic names. While the exact origin and reasoning behind the specific spelling of Katilyn are unclear, it reflects the trend of giving traditional names a fresh and personalized twist.
In terms of historical figures bearing the name Katharina or its variations, one notable example is St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), an influential Italian philosopher, theologian, and mystic who played a significant role in the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages.
Another famous bearer of the name was Catherine the Great (1729-1796), the longest-reigning female leader of Russia, who is known for her extensive reforms and expansion of the Russian Empire during the Enlightenment period.
In the realm of literature, Catherine Earnshaw is a central character in Emily Brontë's classic novel Wuthering Heights, published in 1847.
In the field of science, Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) was an African American mathematician whose calculations were crucial to the success of early NASA missions, including the first crewed space flight by an American.
Finally, Katherine Hepburn (1907-2003) was an iconic American actress who starred in numerous classic films and won four Academy Awards, a record that stood for decades.
While the specific spelling of Katilyn is relatively modern, the name carries a rich history and cultural significance rooted in its ancient Greek origins and the notable figures who have borne variations of the name throughout the centuries.
People
Katilyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katilyn 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
Katilyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katilyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,693 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katilyn 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 202,454 US residents.
Is Katilyn a common name?
We classify Katilyn as "Rare". It ranks above 93% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,737 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katilyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Katilyn was 1998, when 101 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katilyn is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Katilyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Katilyn 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.