UK girl's name
Kaitlyn
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "pure" or "limpid stream".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kaitlyn is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kaitlyn popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1672, with 18 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 400 births.
This profile covers 5,137 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. 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 5% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 6,329 living people in the UK are called Kaitlyn. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kaitlyn ranked #1672 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 18 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 400 girls were registered as Kaitlyn.
- • Kaitlyn ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #350 in 2021.
- • About 6,329 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kaitlyn as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1672
2024
Births in 2024
18
Latest year
Peak year
2006
400 births
Estimated living
6,329
2026
Meaning
What does Kaitlyn mean?
The name Kaitlyn has its roots in the Gaelic language, originating from the ancient Celtic regions of Britain and Ireland. It is a modern variant of the traditional Scottish name Caitlin, which itself is derived from the ancient Irish Gaelic name Caitlín.
Caitlín is thought to be a diminutive form of the Irish Gaelic name Caitríona, which means "pure" or "virtuous." This name can be traced back to the early medieval period in Ireland, where it was likely used as a Gaelic translation of the Latin name Catharina, derived from the Greek word "katharos" meaning "pure."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caitlín dates back to the 16th century, where it appears in Irish genealogical records and historical documents. The name gained popularity in Scotland during the Middle Ages, and variants such as Caitlin and Kaitlyn began to emerge in the English-speaking world over time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kaitlyn or its variants. One of the earliest recorded was Kaitlyn O'Neil, an Irish noblewoman who lived in the 16th century and was known for her involvement in the Irish Confederate Wars. Another was Kaitlyn MacGregor, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the 17th century and published a collection of poems titled "The Thistle and the Rose."
In more recent history, Kaitlyn Bristowe, an American television personality and former contestant on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," was born in 1985. Kaitlyn Jones, an American singer and songwriter, was born in 1992 and has released several albums. Kaitlyn Lawes, a Canadian curler, was born in 1988 and won gold medals in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.
Caitlin Doughty, an American mortician, author, and YouTube personality, was born in 1984 and is known for her advocacy for death acceptance and her work in promoting a more open and honest discussion about death and dying. Kaitlyn Maher, an American actress, was born in 1994 and has appeared in several television shows and films.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kaitlyn over time
The chart below shows babies named Kaitlyn registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kaitlyn, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 18 births in 2024, compared with 400 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaitlyn by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kaitlyn 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 | #1285 | 132 | 5 |
| 2010s | #339 | 1,736 | 10 |
| 2000s | #179 | 2,932 | 10 |
| 1990s | #430 | 337 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kaitlyn is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kaitlyn. 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.
Kaitlyn ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #350 in 2021.
Across the UK
Kaitlyn in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#442 in 2021
31 years of NRS records, 957 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#350 in 2021
23 years of NISRA records, 271 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kaitlyn
-
Kaitlyn Lewis
basketball player
English basketball player (born 1994)
1994-
-
Kaitlyn Canavan
association football player
Related
Names similar to Kaitlyn
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Katy 5,121
FAQ
Kaitlyn: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kaitlyn in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kaitlyn was ranked #1672 for girls in England and Wales, with 18 births registered.
When was Kaitlyn most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 400 babies registered as Kaitlyn in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kaitlyn?
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "pure" or "limpid stream".
How many people are called Kaitlyn in the UK?
A total of 5,137 babies have been registered as Kaitlyn across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 957 more in Scotland and 271 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kaitlyn most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kaitlyn ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #350 in 2021. 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.