Total births
166,689
Girls' name · since 1971
Kaitlyn
Since 1971, U.S. Social Security records show 166,689 babies named Kaitlyn, peaking in 2000. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #650
- among girls today
- 166,689
- born since 1971
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
166,689 babies have been named Kaitlyn since 1971, making it today's #650 girls' name.
Kaitlyn has 166,689 recorded births among girls since 1971, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #650 as of the latest data, more common than 96% 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 1971 to 2025.
- #650 among girls today
- 166,689 born since 1971
- 1990s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kaitlyn is currently the #650 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 166,689 born since 1971, peaking in the 1990s.
- #650
- among girls today
- 166,689
- born since 1971
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Kaitlyn vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#650
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
41% of everyone ever named Kaitlyn was born in this single decade.
2000
Single peak year
8,759 babies were named Kaitlyn in 2000 - its busiest year on record.
How Kaitlyn compares
166,689 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Kaitlyn's all-time total is 436x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kaitlyn | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 166,689 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,759 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kaitlyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kaitlyn's full recorded timeline at 2000, 53% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 47% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1971, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2000 peak of 8,759 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kaitlyn at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2000
Current rank
#650
Active since
1971
Kaitlyn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2025
- Peak year (2000)
- 8,759
- Annual births at peak, across 55 years of records
Kaitlyn popularity over time - boys
232 total births recorded since 1985 (Kaitlyn as boys' name)
Kaitlyn by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Kaitlyn's strongest decade.
67,567 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Kaitlyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 76
1970s
76 births
- 1980s 10,890
1980s
10,890 births
- 1990s
1990s
67,567 births
- 2000s
2000s
66,909 births
- 2010s 18,357
2010s
18,357 births
- 2020s 2,890
2020s
2,890 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 67,567 births (41% of all-time use).
How Kaitlyn 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 Kaitlyn's total volume
Kaitlyn vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kaitlyn by state
Where Kaitlyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1971
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 15,141 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 12,318 | 7.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 10,996 | 6.6% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 8,357 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Florida | | 8,231 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 7,714 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 6,969 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 6,090 | 3.7% |
California share of Kaitlyn's total US births 9.1%
Even split
15,141 of 166,689 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kaitlyn appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kaitlyn? ▼
166,689 babies have been named Kaitlyn since 1971. It currently ranks #650 among girls. The peak year was 2000 with 8,759 births.
When was Kaitlyn most popular? ▼
Kaitlyn was most popular in the 1990s decade with 67,567 total births. The single peak year was 2000.
Where is Kaitlyn most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kaitlyn are California (15,141 births), Texas (12,318 births), New York (10,996 births).
How long has the name Kaitlyn been used? ▼
Kaitlyn has been recorded in Social Security data since 1971, spanning 55 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kaitlyn? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kaitlin, Kailey, Kaia, Kaitlynn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kaitlyn's data
- Kaitlyn's decade-level peak was the 1990s (67,567 total births); usage has since declined to 2,890 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kaitlyns (15,141 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 Kaitlyn
Nearby Names Like Kaitlyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kaitlyn
Kaitlin Girl
#4931 57,355 births
Kailey Girl
#1285 27,244 births
Kaia Girl
#180 20,909 births
Kaitlynn Girl
#3490 16,419 births
Kaila Girl
#1739 14,556 births
Compare Kaitlyn side by side: Kaitlyn vs Kaitlin Kaitlyn vs Kailey Kaitlyn vs Kaia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kaitlyn
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, 1971–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kaitlyn: #650 Girls' Name - 166,689 Births, Peak 2000." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kaitlyn. 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 Kaitlyn 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.