Kaitlynn
Feminine form of a name of Irish origin meaning "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 16,028 living Americans carry the first name Kaitlynn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kaitlynn today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaitlynn births was 1999 (822 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaitlynn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kaitlynn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
16K
~ 1 in 21,385 Americans
Peak year
1999
822 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2004 SSA rank
#3,528
Tracked since 1982
Census
Kaitlynn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 13,695 people with the first name Kaitlynn, which placed it at #2,003 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,003
National first-name rank
People counted
14K
13,695 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
4.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
77.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaitlynn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaitlynn is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kaitlynn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kaitlynn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.4% · 10,605
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 1,343
- Two or more races5.6% · 770
- Black or African American4.3% · 588
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 273
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 116
Gender
Gender distribution for Kaitlynn
Out of the 16,378 babies given the name Kaitlynn since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Kaitlynn as a male name
- Ranked #12,284 in 2004
- 5 male births in 2004
- Peak: 2004 (5 births)
Kaitlynn as a female name
- Ranked #3,528 in 2024
- 44 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (822 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kaitlynn appears almost entirely female. Of the 13,693 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Kaitlynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaitlynn from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6,602 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaitlynn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kaitlynn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaitlynns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 47 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Kaitlynn, while Delaware, Montana, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 314 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaitlynn
The name Kaitlynn is a modern variation of the traditional Scottish name Caitlin, which is derived from the Gaelic name Caitlíona. The Gaelic name Caitlíona is believed to have originated from the Greek name Aithalione, meaning "little battlemaiden" or "little fighter."
The name Caitlín first appeared in written records in the late 16th century, primarily in Ireland and Scotland. It was a popular name among the Celtic cultures and was often associated with strong-willed and independent women. The spelling variation "Kaitlynn" is a more recent development, likely emerging in the 20th century.
While the name Caitlín has deep roots in Celtic history and mythology, there are no known direct references to it in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, the name's meaning and association with strength and resilience resonate with the warrior spirit celebrated in Celtic folklore and legends.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caitlín can be found in the 17th century, when it was the name of an Irish noblewoman, Caitlín Dubh, who was a prominent figure in the Confederate Wars of the 1640s. Another notable bearer of the name was Caitlín Ní Uallacháin (1800-1873), an Irish poet and storyteller known for her contributions to preserving Irish oral traditions.
In more recent times, the name Kaitlynn has been carried by several famous individuals, including Kaitlynn Carter (born 1988), an American blogger and influencer; Kaitlynn Bristowe (born 1985), a Canadian television personality and former contestant on "The Bachelor"; and Kaitlynn Lawes (born 1988), a Canadian Olympic gold medalist in curling.
Other notable individuals with variations of the name include Caitlin Moran (born 1975), a British journalist and author; Caitlin Doughty (born 1984), an American mortician and author known for her advocacy for death acceptance; and Caitlin Stasey (born 1990), an Australian actress and advocate for women's rights.
The name Kaitlynn, with its rich Celtic heritage and associations with strength and resilience, has endured through the ages and continues to be a popular choice for parents seeking a name with a touch of historical significance and a sense of empowerment.
People
Kaitlynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaitlynn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kaitlynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaitlynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16,028 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaitlynn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 21,385 US residents.
Is Kaitlynn a common name?
We classify Kaitlynn as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16,378 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaitlynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaitlynn was 1999, when 822 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaitlynn is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kaitlynn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 13,695 people with the name Kaitlynn, or 4.53 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,003 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kaitlynn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kaitlynn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kaitlynn appears almost entirely female. Of the 13,693 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kaitlynn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaitlynn is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kaitlynn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kaitlynn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.4% (10,605 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kaitlynn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaitlynn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaitlynn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kaitlynn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaitlynn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kaitlynn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Kaitlynn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.