ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1970 First Year 2026 Last Year 1993 Peak Year #52 Peak Rank 134K Total Count 57 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Katelyn What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Caitlin is a feminine given name of Irish origin. Historically, the Irish name Caitlín was anglicized as Cathleen or Kathleen. In the 1970s, however, non-Irish speakers began pronouncing the name according to English spelling rules as KAYT-lin, which led to many variations in spelling such as Caitlin, Ceitlin, Catelynn, Caitlyn, Katlyn, Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyne, Katelyn and Katelynn. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin) [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Katelyn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Caitlin%27s_name_badge_%282722635443%29.jpg/330px-Caitlin%27s_name_badge_%282722635443%29.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin) 📖 ## The Story of Katelyn Katelyn first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1970, with 9 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1993, when 5,975 Katelyns were born — ranking #54 that year. As of 2026, Katelyn ranks #1,016 for baby girls with 249 births, falling sharply (-48%). In total, more than 134K Katelyns have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Katelyn Phonetically similar names — useful when Katelyn is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Catalin](/catalin) * [Katalin](/katalin) * Catalan * Cotillon * [Katlyn](/katlyn) * [Catlin](/catlin) * Catala * Kettling * Cattlemen * [Caitlin](/caitlin) * [Kaitlyn](/kaitlyn) * [Kaitlin](/kaitlin) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Katelyn What does the name Katelyn mean? Caitlin is a feminine given name of Irish origin. Historically, the Irish name Caitlín was anglicized as Cathleen or Kathleen. In the 1970s, however, non-Irish speakers began pronouncing the name according to English spelling rules as KAYT-lin, which led to many variations in spelling such as Caitlin, Ceitlin, Catelynn, Caitlyn, Katlyn, Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyne, Katelyn and Katelynn. How popular is Katelyn in 2026? In 2026, Katelyn ranks #1,016 among girls' names in the U.S., with 249 babies given the name that year. When was Katelyn most popular? Katelyn reached its peak popularity in 1993, ranking #52 that year with 5,975 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Katelyn most popular? Katelyn has historically been most popular in Alaska, West Virginia, Wyoming. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Katelyn. Is Katelyn a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Katelyn is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Katelyn? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Katelyn include Rosa, Mae, Anne. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧RosaPeak #52](/rosa)[👧MaePeak #52](/mae)[👧AnnePeak #52](/anne)[👧SallyPeak #52](/sally)[👧PatsyPeak #52](/patsy)[👧SuzannePeak #52](/suzanne)[👧SerenityPeak #52](/serenity)[👧MamiePeak #53](/mamie) ## About the name Katelyn Katelyn is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1970 and has accumulated 134K births in the dataset. Katelyn's peak popularity came in 1993 when it ranked #52\. Use the chart and map above to compare Katelyn's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1993 → ](/year/1993) * [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s) * [ Names starting with "K" → ](/letter/k) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.