UK girl's name
Cait
A feminine diminutive of the name Catherine, meaning "pure" or "innocent".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2020. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Cait is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Cait popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2020 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5493, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 15 births.
This profile covers 84 England and Wales registrations across 15 recorded years from 1996 to 2020. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 20% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 200 living people in the UK are called Cait. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2021 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Cait ranked #5493 for girls in England and Wales in 2020, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 15 girls were registered as Cait.
- • Cait ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #227 in 2024.
- • About 200 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cait as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5493
2020
Births in 2020
3
Latest year
Peak year
1997
15 births
Estimated living
200
2026
Meaning
What does Cait mean?
The name Cait originated from the ancient Irish Gaelic language, derived from the word "cáith" which means "pure" or "untarnished." This name has its roots traced back to the early medieval period in Ireland, around the 5th to 7th centuries CE.
Cait was a popular name among the Celtic tribes and kingdoms that inhabited the island of Ireland during that time. It was commonly given to girls born into noble families, as a symbol of their purity and virtue. The name gained further significance within the Christian tradition, with various saints and religious figures bearing the name or its variants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cait can be found in the "Triads of Ireland," a collection of ancient Irish literary and legal texts dating back to the 9th century. These texts mention a figure known as Cait ingen Cuindlis, who was a renowned poet and scholar in the 7th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Cait or its variations. Cait Ní Dhuibhir (1598-1688) was an Irish noblewoman and poet, renowned for her contributions to the Gaelic literary tradition. Cait Sith, a figure from Scottish folklore, is depicted as a fairy or spirit taking the form of a black cat with a white spot on its chest.
In the 12th century, Cait ingen Mhuireadhaigh was an Irish princess and patron of the arts, known for her patronage of poets and scholars. Cait Ní Chionnaith (1456-1506) was a celebrated Irish poet and historian, whose works provided valuable insights into the social and cultural life of 15th-century Ireland.
Another notable figure was Cait Ní Bhriain (1606-1688), an Irish noblewoman and supporter of the Gaelic resistance against English rule. Her legacy as a patron of the arts and defender of Irish culture has been widely celebrated in folklore and literature.
While the name Cait has its origins in Ireland, it has also gained popularity in other Celtic regions, such as Scotland and Wales, where it is often spelled as Kate or Katherine. Over time, the name has spread globally, with various spellings and pronunciations adapted to different cultures and languages.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Cait over time
The chart below shows babies named Cait registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2020. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Cait, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2020, compared with 15 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cait by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cait was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5493 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #3670 | 49 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2339 | 32 | 4 |
Geography
Where Cait is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Cait. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Cait ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #227 in 2024.
Across the UK
Cait in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#722 in 2006
3 years of NRS records, 9 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#227 in 2024
21 years of NISRA records, 108 total registered
Related
Names similar to Cait
- Chloe 111,265
- Charlotte 88,733
- Caitlin 28,931
- Courtney 23,162
- Chelsea 13,049
- Clara 9,435
- Connie 8,402
- Catherine 8,376
- Charlie 7,964
- Cerys 7,506
- Casey 7,018
- Cara 6,375
FAQ
Cait: questions and answers
How popular is the name Cait in the UK right now?
In 2020, Cait was ranked #5493 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Cait most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 15 babies registered as Cait in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Cait?
A feminine diminutive of the name Catherine, meaning "pure" or "innocent".
How many people are called Cait in the UK?
A total of 84 babies have been registered as Cait across the 15 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 9 more in Scotland and 108 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Cait most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Cait ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #227 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.