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

# 965 on Nameberry

Caitlin Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Caitlin Popularity

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

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"