Katlin
Of English origin, a variant of the feminine Caitlin meaning "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 5,285 living Americans carry the first name Katlin. It is a predominantly female name (97.7% of registrations). The average person named Katlin today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katlin births was 1993 (395 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katlin. 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 Katlin with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Katlin is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 126 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
5.3K
~ 1 in 64,854 Americans
Peak year
1993
395 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
1994 SSA rank
#9,575
Tracked since 1981
Census
Katlin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,998 people with the first name Katlin, which placed it at #3,913 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
#3,913
National first-name rank
People counted
5.0K
4,998 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
83.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Katlin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Katlin is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Katlin 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 Katlin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 4,180
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 292
- Black or African American4.6% · 228
- Two or more races4.1% · 206
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 36
Gender
Gender distribution for Katlin
Katlin leans heavily female at 97.7% of total registrations, but 126 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Katlin as a male name
- Ranked #9,575 in 1994
- 5 male births in 1994
- Peak: 1988 (16 births)
Katlin as a female name
- Ranked #12,403 in 2015
- 8 female births in 2015
- Peak: 1993 (385 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Katlin leans strongly female. 4,887 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 106 male bearers (2.1%).
Popularity
Katlin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katlin from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 3,352 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Katlin 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 Katlin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Katlins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 36 states and territories. Ohio, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Katlin, while Utah, Connecticut, Nebraska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 115 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Katlin
The name Katlin is a variant spelling of the name Caitlin, which has its origins in the Irish Gaelic language. The name is derived from the ancient Irish name Caitlín, which is a diminutive form of the Irish name Cáit, itself a derivative of the Old Irish name Cáit.
Cáit is thought to have originated from the Old Celtic word "cath," meaning "battle" or "warrior," reflecting the strong and fierce nature associated with this name. The name Cáit and its derivatives were popular among the ancient Celtic people of Ireland, particularly in the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Caitlin can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which references a woman named Caitlín ingen Uidhir in the year 1092. This entry provides evidence of the name's use in Ireland during the 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Katlin or its various spellings. In the 12th century, Caitlín Ní Bhriain was the daughter of the High King of Ireland, Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair, and played a role in Irish politics during her lifetime.
In the realm of literature, Caitlín Ní Uallacháin was a 16th-century Irish noblewoman and poet renowned for her works in the Irish language. Her poems provide valuable insights into the cultural and literary traditions of medieval Ireland.
In more recent times, Caitlin Thomas (1913-1994) was a British author and the wife of the renowned poet Dylan Thomas. She wrote several autobiographical works, including "Leftover Life to Kill" and "Not Quite Enough," offering glimpses into her life with the famous poet.
Another notable figure is Caitlin Moran (born 1975), a British journalist, author, and feminist known for her best-selling books, including "How to Be a Woman" and "More Than a Woman." Her works have gained widespread recognition for their humorous and insightful commentary on contemporary issues.
Lastly, Caitlin Jenner (born 1949) is an American former Olympic gold medalist and television personality who gained international attention for her gender transition in 2015. Her journey has brought increased awareness and discussions around transgender rights and issues.
These examples demonstrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the name Katlin and its various spellings, reflecting its enduring presence across different cultures and time periods.
People
Katlin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katlin 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
Katlin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katlin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,285 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katlin 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 64,854 US residents.
Is Katlin a common name?
We classify Katlin as "Rare". It ranks above 96.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,461 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katlin most popular?
The single biggest year for Katlin was 1993, when 395 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katlin is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Katlin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,998 people with the name Katlin, or 1.65 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,913 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 Katlin 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 Katlin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Katlin leans strongly female. 4,887 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 106 male bearers (2.1%). 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 Katlin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Katlin is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Katlin most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Katlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (4,180 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 Katlin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Katlin a female name?
Yes, 97.7% of people registered as Katlin 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 Katlin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Katlin 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 Katlin 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 Katlin?
See how many Americans are named Katlin on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.