Caitlin

Irish variation of Catherine
"pure"

Caitlin Origin and Meaning

The name Caitlin is a girl's name of Irish origin meaning "pure".

An Irish and Welsh form of Catherine, Caitlin was a boom name of the eighties, rocketing from obscurity (Americans first heard it via the wife of doomed poet Dylan Thomas) to the height of popularity in the space of a decade. The original name was gradually eclipsed by its myriad spelling variations -- Katelyn and Kaitlyn both soon topping it on the popularity lists.

Now, most forms of Caitlin, including this most-authentic one, have started to dip, though there have been thousands of girls named Caitlin -- and Katelyn and Kaitlyn ad infinitum -- every year for the past three decades. So, while Caitlin is certainly one of the loveliest variations of Catherine, it's been overused to the point of semi-retirement, at least in the U.S. Cait might be a short form.

Actor Breckin Meyer named his daughter Caitlin in 2003. Caitlyn Jenner also brought a renewed fame to the name, though she uses the -lyn variation.

# 609 in the US

Caitlin Rank in US Top 1000

# 793 on Nameberry

Caitlin Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Caitlin

20 Names Similar to Caitlin

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Caitlin.

Famous People Named Caitlin

  • (Wendilyn Marielle) Caitlin "Cait" Brennan
    American singer and writer
  • Caitlin Davies
    English writer
  • Caitlin Flanagan
    American writer
  • Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan
    Irish,American fantasy novelist
  • Catherine Elizabeth "Caitlin" Moran
    English journalist
  • Caitlin Thomas
    English author and wife of poet Dylan Thomas
  • Caitlin Tiffany Glass
    American actress
  • Caitlin Doughty
    American mortician and author
  • Caitlin Cary
    American country music singer
  • Katherine Anne "Caitlin" Clarke
    American actress and singer
  • Caitlin Lynn
    American country music singer of duo Caitlin & Will
  • Caitlin Elisabeth Rose
    American country music singer
  • Caitlin Elizabeth Wachs
    American actress
  • Caitlin Elizabeth Carmichael
    American actress
  • Caitlin Mallory
    American ice dancer
  • Caitlin Ariana Sanchez
    American voice actress
  • Caitlin Alexandra Hill
    American YouTuber
  • Caitlin Kinney
    American dancer and TV personality
  • Lauren Caitlin "Caite" Upton
    Miss Teen South Carolina USA 2007
  • Caitlin McCarthy
    American actress
  • Caitlin McClatchey
    Scottish swimmer
  • Caitlin Ashley Fein
    American actress; twin sister Amanda Fein
  • Caitlin Jean Stasey
    Australian actress
  • Caitlin Campbell
    New Zealand footballer
  • Caitlin Cahow
    American ice hockey player
  • Caitlin "Kitty" Carruthers
    American figure skater
  • Caitlin Cunningham
    Australian basketball player
  • Caitlin Lever
    Canadian softball player
  • Caitlin Leverenz
    American swimmer
  • Caitlin Lowe
    American softball player and Olympian
  • Caitlin Jade Foord
    Australian footballer
  • Caitlin "Caity" Friend
    Australian footballer
  • Caitlin FitzGerald
    American actress
  • Caitlin Fladager
    Canadian Instagram star
  • Caitlin Brunell
    Miss Alabama 2014, daughter of NFL player Mark Brunell
  • Caitlin Rivers Crowell
    daughter of singers Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash; granddaughter of singer Johnny Cash
  • Caitlin Cassidy
    daughter of actor/producer Shaun Cassidy
  • Caitlin Marie Waltrip
    Kinnaird, daughter of NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip
  • Caitlin McCarthy
    daughter of singer Alison Moyet and Kim McCarthy
  • Caitlin Kelly
    daughter of reality TV personality Deirdre "White Dee" Kelly
  • Caitlin Willow Meyer (b. 2003)
    daughter of actor Breckin Meyer
  • Caitlin Jennings (b. 2006)
    daughter of Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings

The name Caitlin in Pop Culture

  • Caitlin
    main character in "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine
  • Caitlin "Kate" Todd
    character in TV's "NCIS"
  • Caitlin Caine
    character in the movie "The Long Kiss Goodnight"
  • Caitlin Atwater
    character in the movie "The Staircase Murders"
  • Caitlin O'Shea
    character in the movie "Falling Up"
  • Caitlin Cooke
    character in animated series "6teen"
  • Caitlin Ryan
    character on TV's "Degrassi: The Next Generation"
  • Caitlin Sommers
    main character in the novel "Summer Sisters"
  • Caitlin Snow
    aka Killer Frost, character in the CW TV show "The Flash," based off the DC Comics comic books of the same name
  • Caitlin Strucker
    character on TV's "The Gifted"
  • Caitlin Spencer
    character in the movie "Take The Lead"

The name Caitlin in Nameberry Blog Posts