Total births
52,603
Girls' name · since 1968
Caitlyn
Since 1968, U.S. Social Security records show 52,603 babies named Caitlyn, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2352
- among girls today
- 52,603
- born since 1968
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Caitlyn is the #2352 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 52,603 recorded since 1968.
Caitlyn has 52,603 recorded births among girls since 1968, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2352 as of the latest data, more common than 87% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1968 to 2025.
- #2352 among girls today
- 52,603 born since 1968
- 1990s peak decade
- 87% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Caitlyn is currently the #2352 girls' name in America, more common than 87% of girls - 52,603 born since 1968, peaking in the 1990s.
- #2352
- among girls today
- 52,603
- born since 1968
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other girls
Caitlyn vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2352
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 87% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
42% of everyone ever named Caitlyn was born in this single decade.
1998
Single peak year
2,937 babies were named Caitlyn in 1998 - its busiest year on record.
How Caitlyn compares
52,603 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Caitlyn's all-time total is 138x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Caitlyn | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 52,603 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,937 | 48 | 19,840 |
Caitlyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Caitlyn's full recorded timeline at 1999, 55% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 45% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1968, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1998 peak of 2,937 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Caitlyn at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1998
Current rank
#2,352
Active since
1968
Caitlyn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1968–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 2,937
- Annual births at peak, across 58 years of records
Caitlyn popularity over time - boys
34 total births recorded since 1988 (Caitlyn as boys' name)
Caitlyn by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Caitlyn's strongest decade.
21,991 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Caitlyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
- 1970s 71
1970s
71 births
- 1980s 4,473
1980s
4,473 births
- 1990s
1990s
21,991 births
- 2000s
2000s
19,782 births
- 2010s 5,652
2010s
5,652 births
- 2020s 629
2020s
629 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 21,991 births (42% of all-time use).
How Caitlyn 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 Caitlyn's total volume
Caitlyn vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Caitlyn by state
Where Caitlyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1968
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,519 | 8.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 4,084 | 7.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 2,994 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Florida | | 2,663 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 2,591 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 2,378 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 2,136 | 4.1% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 1,691 | 3.2% |
California share of Caitlyn's total US births 8.6%
Even split
4,519 of 52,603 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Caitlyn appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Caitlyn? ▼
52,603 babies have been named Caitlyn since 1968. It currently ranks #2352 among girls. The peak year was 1998 with 2,937 births.
When was Caitlyn most popular? ▼
Caitlyn was most popular in the 1990s decade with 21,991 total births. The single peak year was 1998.
Where is Caitlyn most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Caitlyn are California (4,519 births), Texas (4,084 births), New York (2,994 births).
How long has the name Caitlyn been used? ▼
Records for Caitlyn go back to 1968, giving 58 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Caitlyn? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Caitlin, Cailyn, Caitlynn, Cailey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Caitlyn's data
- Caitlyn's decade-level peak was the 1990s (21,991 total births); usage has since declined to 629 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Caitlyns (4,519 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Caitlyn
Nearby Names Like Caitlyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Caitlyn
Caitlin Girl
#1688 112,143 births
Cailyn Girl
#3297 5,549 births
Caitlynn Girl
#7735 4,947 births
Cailey Girl
#5356 3,857 births
Cailin Girl
#7687 3,713 births
Compare Caitlyn side by side: Caitlyn vs Caitlin Caitlyn vs Cailyn Caitlyn vs Caitlynn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Caitlyn
Danika #2351
10,697 births · Peak 2007
Mahogany #2353
4,134 births · Peak 2000
Milagro #2350
1,872 births · Peak 2024
Aislynn #2354
2,784 births · Peak 2015
Regan #2349
16,307 births · Peak 2001
Bayan #2355
1,152 births · Peak 2025
Rainey #2348
2,182 births · Peak 2022
Grettel #2356
1,089 births · Peak 2018
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, 1968–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Caitlyn: #2352 Girls' Name - 52,603 Births, Peak 1998." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/caitlyn. 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 Caitlyn 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.