NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Katelyn

A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "pure".

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.

Katelyn is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Katelyn popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2411, with 11 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 263 births.

This profile covers 3,209 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 4% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 3,931 living people in the UK are called Katelyn. 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

  • Katelyn ranked #2411 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 11 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2004, when 263 girls were registered as Katelyn.
  • Katelyn ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #243 in 2019.
  • About 3,931 living people in the UK are estimated to have Katelyn as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2411

2024

Births in 2024

11

Latest year

Peak year

2004

263 births

Estimated living

3,931

2026

Meaning

What does Katelyn mean?

The name Katelyn is an anglicized form of the Irish name Caitlin, which is derived from the ancient Irish Gaelic name Caitlín. The name's roots can be traced back to the late 8th century in Ireland, where it originated as a pet form of the Gaelic name Caitlíona. Caitlíona is a compound name composed of the elements "caith" meaning "pure" and the diminutive suffix "-lín".

While the name Caitlin has a long history in Ireland, the spelling variation Katelyn is a more recent development that emerged in the English-speaking world. The earliest recorded use of the name Katelyn dates back to the late 19th century, likely influenced by the growing popularity of Irish names and cultural elements in the United States and other English-speaking countries.

One of the earliest known Katelyns was Katelyn Mallory, an American author and journalist born in 1888. She wrote several novels and short stories during the early 20th century. Another notable Katelyn was Katelyn Thomas, a British actress born in 1912, who appeared in numerous stage productions and films throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

In the world of literature, the name Katelyn gained recognition through the character Katelyn Kinnian, the protagonist of the popular fantasy novel series "The Chronicles of Katelyn Kinnian" by author Samantha Sommersby. The first book in the series was published in 1995.

Moving to the realm of sports, Katelyn Ohashi, an American former artistic gymnast, gained widespread attention in 2019 for her perfect 10 floor routine that went viral on social media. She was born in 1997 and competed for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team.

Another famous Katelyn is Katelyn Tuohy, an American long-distance runner who has set numerous national records in high school and youth competitions. Born in 2002, she has already established herself as one of the most promising young talents in the sport.

While the name Katelyn has gained popularity in recent decades, its origins can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of Ireland, where it has been a part of the linguistic and naming traditions for centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Katelyn over time

The chart below shows babies named Katelyn 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 Katelyn, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 11 births in 2024, compared with 263 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Katelyn
066132197263199620102024

Decades

Katelyn by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Katelyn 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 #2098 76 5
2010s #577 929 10
2000s #233 1,993 10
1990s #624 211 4

Geography

Where Katelyn is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Katelyn. 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.

Katelyn ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #243 in 2019.

Northern Ireland
7
Scotland
4

Across the UK

Katelyn in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#680 in 2018

27 years of NRS records, 406 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#243 in 2019

23 years of NISRA records, 339 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Katelyn

  • Katelyn Escalona

    basketball player

    Gibraltarian basketball player (born 2009)

    2009-

  • Katelyn Mederios

    association football player

    Bermudian footballer

    2005-

  • Katelyn Medeiros

    association football player

    Bermudan footballer

    2005-

  • Katelyn Wort

    association football player

    English footballer

    2002-

  • Katelyn Keen

Related

Names similar to Katelyn

FAQ

Katelyn: questions and answers

How popular is the name Katelyn in the UK right now?

In 2024, Katelyn was ranked #2411 for girls in England and Wales, with 11 births registered.

When was Katelyn most popular?

The peak year on record was 2004, with 263 babies registered as Katelyn in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Katelyn?

A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "pure".

How many people are called Katelyn in the UK?

A total of 3,209 babies have been registered as Katelyn across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 406 more in Scotland and 339 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Katelyn most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Katelyn ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #243 in 2019. 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.