Total births
5,549
Girls' name · since 1979
Cailyn
Cailyn has 5,549 recorded births since 1979 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2009 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3297
- among girls today
- 5,549
- born since 1979
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 81%
- more common than other girls
Cailyn currently ranks #3297 among girls' names in America, with 5,549 babies recorded since 1979.
Cailyn has 5,549 recorded births among girls since 1979, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3297 as of the latest data, more common than 81% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1979 to 2025.
- #3297 among girls today
- 5,549 born since 1979
- 2000s peak decade
- 81% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cailyn is currently the #3297 girls' name in America, more common than 81% of girls - 5,549 born since 1979, peaking in the 2000s.
- #3297
- among girls today
- 5,549
- born since 1979
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 81%
- more common than other girls
Cailyn vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3297
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 81% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
44% of everyone ever named Cailyn was born in this single decade.
2009
Single peak year
401 babies were named Cailyn in 2009 - its busiest year on record.
How Cailyn compares
5,549 Top 12% higher than 88% of 17,726 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
Cailyn's all-time total is 15x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cailyn | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,549 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 401 | 48 | 19,840 |
Cailyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cailyn's full recorded timeline at 2003, 74% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 26% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1979, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2009 peak of 401 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cailyn at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2009
Current rank
#3,297
Active since
1979
Cailyn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1979–2025
- Peak year (2009)
- 401
- Annual births at peak, across 47 years of records
Cailyn popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 2025 (Cailyn as boys' name)
Cailyn by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Cailyn's strongest decade.
2,445 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 44% of all-time use.
Cailyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 5
1970s
5 births
- 1980s 120
1980s
120 births
- 1990s 857
1990s
857 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,445 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,791 births
- 2020s 331
2020s
331 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 2,445 births (44% of all-time use).
How Cailyn 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 Cailyn's total volume
Cailyn vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Cailyn by state
Where Cailyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1979
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 436 | 7.9% |
| #2 | California | | 413 | 7.4% |
| #3 | Florida | | 305 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 227 | 4.1% |
| #5 | New York | | 220 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 207 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 206 | 3.7% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 188 | 3.4% |
Texas share of Cailyn's total US births 7.9%
Even split
436 of 5,549 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 35 reporting states.
Cailyn appears in 35 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cailyn? ▼
Since 1979, Social Security records show 5,549 babies named Cailyn. Today it holds rank #3297 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2009, with 401 births.
When was Cailyn most popular? ▼
Cailyn was most popular in the 2000s decade with 2,445 total births. The single peak year was 2009.
Where is Cailyn most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cailyn are Texas (436 births), California (413 births), Florida (305 births).
How long has the name Cailyn been used? ▼
Cailyn has been recorded in Social Security data since 1979, spanning 47 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Cailyn? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Caitlin, Caitlyn, Caitlynn, Cailey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Cailyn's data
- Cailyn's decade-level peak was the 2000s (2,445 total births); usage has since declined to 331 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Cailyns (436 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cailyn
Nearby Names Like Cailyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cailyn
Caitlin Girl
#1688 112,143 births
Caitlyn Girl
#2352 52,603 births
Caitlynn Girl
#7735 4,947 births
Cailey Girl
#5356 3,857 births
Cailin Girl
#7687 3,713 births
Compare Cailyn side by side: Cailyn vs Caitlin Cailyn vs Caitlyn Cailyn vs Caitlynn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cailyn
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1979–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cailyn: #3297 Girls' Name - 5,549 Births, Peak 2009." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cailyn. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Cailyn 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 June 2026.