Girls' name · since 1968
Cailin
Cailin has 3,713 recorded births since 1968 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2003 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3,132 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,153 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,713
- born since 1968
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Cailin is the #12153 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 3,713 recorded since 1968.
Social Security Administration records show Cailin recorded 3,713 times among girls since 1968, holding rank #12153 nationally today, ahead of 30% of girls, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1968 to 2025.
- #3,132 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #12,153 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 3,713 born since 1968
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cailin ranks #3,132 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,153 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 3,713 born since 1968, peaking in the 2000s.
- #3,132 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,153 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,713
- born since 1968
- 2000s
- peak decade
Cailin's 3,713 recorded births place it above 95.67% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
26 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Cailin compares
3,713 Top 16% higher than 84% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cailin's all-time total is 10x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cailin | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,713 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 164 | 21 | 19,840 |
Cailin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cailin's full recorded timeline at 1999, 61% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 39% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1973, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2003 peak of 164 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cailin popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1968–2025
- Peak year (2003)
- 164
- Annual births at peak, across 58 years of records
Cailin popularity over time - boys
30 total births recorded since 1996 (Cailin as boys' name)
Cailin by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (1,425 births, 38% of the file).
2000s was Cailin's strongest decade.
1,425 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Cailin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 9
1960s
9 births
- 1970s 53
1970s
53 births
- 1980s 423
1980s
423 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,079 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,425 births
- 2010s
2010s
604 births
- 2020s 120
2020s
120 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 1,425 births (38% of all-time use).
How Cailin compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Cailin's total volume
Cailin by state
Where Cailin concentrates geographically, total births since 1968
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 412 | 11.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 232 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 159 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 142 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Texas | | 125 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 120 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 94 | 2.5% |
| #8 | Florida | | 92 | 2.5% |
412 of 3,713 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.
Cailin appears in 26 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cailin? ▼
Where does Cailin sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cailin most popular? ▼
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How long has the name Cailin been used? ▼
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What to do with Cailin's data
- Cailin's decade-level peak was the 2000s (1,425 total births); usage has since declined to 120 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Cailins (412 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cailin
Nearby Names Like Cailin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cailin
Compare Cailin side by side: Cailin vs Caitlin Cailin vs Caitlyn Cailin vs Cailyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cailin
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cailin: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2003)
Similar record span (~57 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1968–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cailin draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.