Caitlin (Irish pronunciation: [ˈkatʲlʲiːnʲ]) is a feminine given name of Irish origin. Historically, the Irish name Caitlín was anglicized as Cathleen or Kathleen. In the 1970s, however, non-Irish speakers began pronouncing the name according to English spelling rules as KAYT-lin, which led to many variations in spelling such as Caitlin, Ceitlin, Catelynn, Caitlyn, Katlyn, Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Kaytlyn, Kaitlyne, Katelyn and Katelynn.
It is the Irish version of the Old French name Cateline [katlin], which comes from Catherine, which in turn comes from the Ancient Greek Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterine). Catherine is attributed to St. Catherine of Alexandria. Along with the many other variants of Catherine, it is generally believed to mean "pure" because of its long association with the Greek adjective καθαρός katharos (pure), though the name did not evolve from this word but from Ἑκατερός, which comes from ἑκάτερος (meaning: each of two separately).
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Usage
Caitlin has been a well-used name throughout the Anglosphere. In the United States, where spelling variations were more widely used, the name Caitlin peaked in use in 1988, when it was the 44th most popular name for American girls. The name was among the 1,000 most popular names for girls in the United States between 1976 and 2015. All variations of the name Caitlin declined in use in the United States in 2016, the year after the new name and gender of Caitlyn Jenner were revealed. The name Caitlin increased in popularity for American girls in 2023 and 2024 due to the popularity of WNBA player Caitlin Clark.
Notable people
Literature
Caitlin Brennan, pseudonym of Judith Tarr, American fantasy writer
Cait Brennan, American screenwriter and performer
Caitlin Davies, English writer
Caitlin Flanagan, American writer and social critic
Caitlin R. Kiernan, American dark fantasy and sci-fi author
Caitlin Matthews, British author
Caitlin Moran, English journalist and columnist
Caitlin Thomas, formerly Caitlin Macnamara, British author, wife of poet and writer Dylan Thomas
Film and television
Caitlin Carmichael, American movie actress
Caitlin Clarke, American theatre and film actress
Kaitlin Colombo, American comedian
Kaitlyn Dever, American actress
Caitlin Dulany, American actress and activist
Caitlin FitzGerald, American actress and filmmaker
Caitlin Glass, American voice actress
Caitlin Halderman, Indonesian actress and singer
Caity Lotz (Caitlin Lotz), American actress, dancer, and singer
Kaitlin Olson, American actress and comedian
Molly Caitlyn Quinn, American actress
Caitlin Reilly, American actress and comedian
Caitlin Sanchez, American voice of the animated character Dora the Explorer
Caitlin Stasey, Australian actress
Caitlin Wachs, American actress
Music
Caitlin Canty, American singer/songwriter
Caitlin Cary, American alternative country musician
Katelyn Clampett, American singer/songwriter
Caitlin Hanford, American and Canadian singer/songwriter and member of Quartette and The Marigolds
Caitlin Lynn, of the country music duo Caitlin & Will
Kaitlyn Maher, American singer from America's Got Talent
Caitlín Maude, Irish poet, singer and language activist
Caitlín O'Riordan, British bass guitarist (The Pogues)
Caitlin Rose, American singer
Katelyn Tarver (born 1989), American singer/songwriter
Caitlyn Taylor Love, American singer/actress
Politicians
Caitlín Brugha, née Kingston, Irish politician
Kaitlyn Shake, American politician
Sports
Kaitlyn (wrestler), ring name of American professional WWE wrestler Celeste Bonin
Caitlin Bassett (netball), Australian netball player
Caitlin Bickle, American basketball player
Caitlin Cahow, American ice hockey player
Caitlin Campbell, New Zealand footballer
Caitlin Carruthers, better known as Kitty Carruthers, American figure skater
Kaitlyn Chen, American basketball player
Katlyn Chookagian, American MMA fighter
Caitlin Clark, American basketball player
Caitlin Cooper, Australian soccer player
Caitlin Cunningham, Australian basketball player
Kaitlyn Davis, American basketball player
Kaitlyn Eaton, American wheelchair basketball player
Caitlyn Edwards, Australian rules footballer
Caitlin Foord, Australian soccer player
Kaitlin Hawayek, American ice dancer
Caitlyn Jenner, American track & field athlete, gold medalist at the 1976 Olympics
Kaitlyn Lawes, Canadian curler
Others
Caitlin Brunell, Miss Alabama 2015
Kaitlan Collins, American journalist and news anchor
Katelynn Cusanelli, American reality TV personality from The Real World: Brooklyn
Caitlin Doughty, American mortician and YouTube personality
Caitlin Hill, Australian YouTube personality (username "stageTheHill88")
Caitlin Kinney, American dancer and So You Think You Can Dance (season 5) contestant
Catelynn Lowell, American reality TV personality of the MTV shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom
Caitlin Myers, American professor of economics
Caitlin Rivers, American epidemiologist
Kaitlyn Siragusa or Amouranth, American social media personality
Fictional characters
Kait(lyn), in the webcomic Freakangels
Caitlin, in the second season of the TV series Heroes
Caitlin, from the Pokémon series; first introduced as the Lady of the Battle Castle in the Battle Frontier of Pokémon Platinum (as well as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver), turning a few years later into an Unova Elite Four member in Pokémon Black and White and their sequels
Caitlin Atkins, from Australian television series Neighbours
Caitlin Bree, from 1994 movie Clerks
Caitlin Cooke, from the show 6teen
Kaitlin Cooper, from American television series The O.C.
Caitlin Deschanel, from American television series Sunset Beach
Caitlin Fairchild, from the comic Gen13
Caitlyn Goodwyn, a.k.a. Pop Harukaze, from the Japanese anime series Ojamajo Doremi
Caitlyn Kiramman, the Sheriff of Piltover, a playable champion character in video game League of Legends and character in the animated series Arcane
Caitlin O'Shannessy, from the American television series Airwolf
Caitlin Pike, from American television series JAG
Caitlin Poythress, from the television series We Are Who We Are
Caitlin Ramirez, from The Bold and the Beautiful
Other uses of the name
Typhoon Caitlin (disambiguation), two tropical cyclones