girls' name ★ peaked 1988

Caitlin

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,333 Trend ↓ Falling 31%

A female given name from Irish Caitlín, equivalent to English Catherine.

Rank 2025
#2,333
among girls · ↓649 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
78
named Caitlin · -36% vs 2024
How common
1 in 20,606
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1988
7,274 babies
All-time total
112,426
#343 all-time among girls
First recorded
1955
in Social Security records

Caitlin popularity over time

112,426 babies have been named Caitlin since 1955, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 46 – 46 5 – #3,334
1960s 410 – 410 41 +791% #1,153
1970s 1,277 – 1,277 128 +211% #677
1980s 33,584 171 33,755 3,376 +2543% #44
1990s 49,033 95 49,128 4,913 +46% #50
2000s 22,298 17 22,315 2,232 -55% #76
2010s 4,935 – 4,935 494 -78% #339
2020s (to 2025) 560 – 560 93 -81% #1,684

Where Caitlin is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 73 0.05 outside top 500
2027 69 0.04 outside top 500
2028 66 0.04 outside top 500
2029 63 0.04 outside top 500
2030 61 0.04 outside top 500

Where Caitlin is most popular

Girls named Caitlin per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.055 per 1,000. Strongest in Iowa, New York, and Tennessee.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Caitlin born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Iowa 6 0.103 +85%
New York 26 0.066 +18%
Tennessee 10 0.063 +14%
New Jersey 11 0.061 +10%
Georgia 13 0.057 ≈ national
Texas 44 0.055 ≈ national
California 43 0.051 -8%
Illinois 10 0.044 -21%
Pennsylvania 10 0.042 -24%
Virginia 5 0.029 -47%
Florida 10 0.023 -58%
North Carolina 5 0.022 -60%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Caitlin

Caitlin is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,333 in 2025 with 78 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1955, 112,426 American babies have been named Caitlin. Its peak came in 1988, when 7,274 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Caitlin stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Caitlin?

The median living Caitlin is about 32 years old; half are between 26 and 37. An estimated 111 thousand people named Caitlin are alive in the United States today.

median 32 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Caitlin year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 78 #2,333 – –
2024 121 #1,684 – –
2023 80 #2,290 – –
2022 86 #2,194 – –
2021 85 #2,190 – –
2020 110 #1,794 – –
2019 142 #1,524 – –
2018 166 #1,360 – –
2017 161 #1,418 – –
2016 218 #1,152 – –
2015 477 #610 – –
2014 628 #496 – –
2013 654 #468 – –
2012 741 #424 – –
2011 803 #393 – –
2010 945 #339 – –
2009 1,216 #267 – –
2008 1,459 #235 – –
2007 1,530 #230 – –
2006 1,653 #209 – –
2005 1,778 #193 – –
2004 2,050 #161 12 #6,195
2003 2,311 #142 – –
2002 2,743 #123 – –
2001 3,456 #89 – –
2000 4,102 #76 5 #10,589
1995 4,384 #81 13 #4,547
1990 7,026 #50 20 #3,071
1985 3,593 #77 14 #3,238
1980 646 #365 – –
1975 94 #1,220 – –
1970 100 #1,155 – –
1965 34 #2,000 – –
1960 15 #3,224 – –
1955 5 #5,929 – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Caitlin

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Caitlin FitzGerald Caitlin FitzGerald American actress and filmmaker b. 1983 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Caitlin Stasey Caitlin Stasey Australian actress and singer (born 1990) Contemporary
  3. 3 Caitlin Moran Caitlin Moran English writer (born 1975) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Caitlin, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Caitlin?

The median living Caitlin is about 32 years old. Half of all living Caitlins are between 26 and 37 years old.

How many people named Caitlin are alive today?

An estimated 111 thousand people named Caitlin are alive in the United States, based on 112,426 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Caitlin mean?

A female given name from Irish Caitlín, equivalent to English Catherine.

How popular is the name Caitlin in 2025?

Caitlin ranked #2,333 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 78 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Caitlin?

112,426 babies have been named Caitlin in the United States since 1955, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Caitlin most popular?

Caitlin peaked in 1988, when 7,274 newborns received the name.

Is Caitlin a boy or girl name?

Caitlin is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Caitlin rising or falling?

Caitlin is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Caitlin become more popular?

Caitlin is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 61 girls named Caitlin in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Caitlin?

Well-known people named Caitlin include Caitlin FitzGerald (actor), Caitlin Stasey (actor), Caitlin Moran (writer).

Names like Caitlin

Names that sound and feel close to Caitlin: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Caitlin with similar names → More names starting with C →