girl's name
Katelyn
KAYT-lin (English)
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 149,153
Ireland
#292
2025 births
Katelyn is one of five respellings that divided the same sound in the 1990s, and Ireland ranks it 292nd — far above the United States at 1,078th, the reverse of how its sister spelling Kaitlyn behaves.
- Katelyn is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1993, when 5,975 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 14,735 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1970.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Katelyn Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 183 |
| 1980s | 14,815 |
| 1990s | 52,863 |
| 2000s | 47,895 |
| 2010s | 16,519 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,931 |
What Katelyn Means
Katelyn has no securely known meaning, because Catherine does not. The pure reading was attached centuries later by association with a Greek word the name does not descend from.
Where Katelyn Comes From
Katelyn respells the Irish Caitlín, which came into Irish from the Old French Cateline, itself from Catherine — whose Greek original Aikaterine has never been securely derived. The pure gloss came from medieval association with katharos, clean, and the spelling of Katharine shifted to match a meaning it did not have. The -lyn ending is American, from the same fashion that gave Carolyn and Marilyn. Katelyn, Kaitlyn, Caitlin, Kaitlin and Katelynn split one pronunciation five ways through the 1990s, which is why none of them individually looks as large as the sound was.
Katelyn in Use
Katelyn peaked in the United States in 1993, when 5,975 babies were registered, and is falling. It now ranks 292nd in Ireland on 15 births, 1,078th in the United States on 225 and 2,419th in England and Wales on 12, across 149,153 lifetime births in four markets. Kaitlyn, written up separately, is American-led — so the two spellings of one name lead in different countries.
How Popular Is Katelyn?
In 2025, Katelyn was given to 225 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Katelyn Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Katelyn Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Kate-Lyn | Kate-Lyn is Katelyn written with a hyphen, recorded mostly in Canada. | 36 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Katelyn
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Katelyn Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Katelyn over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Katelyn
- English KAYT-lin /ˈkeɪt.lɪn/
2 nicknames for Katelyn
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Katelyn in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Caitlin
Sibling Names for Katelyn
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Katelyn — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Katelyn
What does the name Katelyn mean?
Not known. It descends from Catherine, whose Greek original has never been securely derived.
Is it Katelyn or Kaitlyn?
Both, plus Caitlin, Kaitlin and Katelynn. Katelyn leads in Ireland and Kaitlyn in America.
Does Catherine mean pure?
Not originally. The reading came from a medieval association with the Greek katharos, and spellings shifted to match.
How popular is Katelyn?
292nd in Ireland and 1,078th in the United States.
Is Katelyn a girl's or a boy's name?
Katelyn is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Katelyn?
Katelyn has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Katelyn?
Katelyn is usually shortened to Katie and Kate.
Is Katelyn a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Katelyn currently ranks #292 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.