Holding steady.
Popularity of Caitlan since 1983
Babies named Caitlan per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 290 |
| 1990s | 590 |
| 2000s | 162 |
| 2010s | 5 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Caitlan is a modern respelling of Caitlin, itself the Irish form of Catherine. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1983, part of the late twentieth-century fashion for phonetically simplified versions of traditional Irish names. Its peak year came in 1988, and since then its usage has remained stable at very low levels, never entering the top 1,000. The name does not have any strong association with particular states or regions. As a variant of a name with centuries of use in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora, Caitlan carries a modern, approachable feel while remaining grounded in a longer tradition.
Caitlan is a modern American respelling of Caitlin, the Irish Gaelic form of Catherine. Catherine derives from the Greek Aikaterine, possibly linked to katharos, meaning 'pure'. The spelling Caitlan emerged in the late twentieth century, particularly in the United States, as part of a trend of simplifying or phonetically respelling traditional Irish names. While Caitlin itself has been widely used in Ireland for centuries, the Caitlan variant first appeared in U.S. records in 1983.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Cait, Catie, Lan
Sibling names for Caitlan
Names that share Caitlan's style, for a brother or sister.
