Girls' name · since 1970
Katelyn
Since 1970, U.S. Social Security records show 134,049 babies named Katelyn, peaking in 1993. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #300 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,078 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 134,049
- born since 1970
- 1990s
- peak decade
Katelyn currently ranks #1078 among girls' names in America, with 134,049 babies recorded since 1970.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Katelyn has been recorded 134,049 times among girls since 1970, currently ranked #1078 nationally and more common than 94% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1970 to 2025.
- #300 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,078 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 134,049 born since 1970
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Katelyn ranks #300 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,078 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 134,049 born since 1970, peaking in the 1990s.
- #300 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,078 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 134,049
- born since 1970
- 1990s
- peak decade
Katelyn's 134,049 recorded births place it above 99.58% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Katelyn compares
134,049 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Katelyn's all-time total is 357x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Katelyn | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 134,049 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,975 | 21 | 19,840 |
Katelyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Katelyn's full recorded timeline at 1998, 57% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 43% 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 1993 peak of 5,975 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Katelyn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025
- Peak year (1993)
- 5,975
- Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
Katelyn popularity over time - boys
157 total births recorded since 1986 (Katelyn as boys' name)
Katelyn by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (52,811 births, 39% of the file).
1990s was Katelyn's strongest decade.
52,811 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Katelyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 183
1970s
183 births
- 1980s 14,775
1980s
14,775 births
- 1990s
1990s
52,811 births
- 2000s
2000s
47,840 births
- 2010s 16,509
2010s
16,509 births
- 2020s 1,931
2020s
1,931 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 52,811 births (39% of all-time use).
How Katelyn 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 Katelyn's total volume
Katelyn by state
Where Katelyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1970
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 13,193 | 9.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 9,306 | 6.9% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 6,485 | 4.8% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 6,362 | 4.7% |
| #5 | New York | | 6,297 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 5,441 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Florida | | 5,428 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 5,308 | 4.0% |
13,193 of 134,049 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Katelyn appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Katelyn? ▼
Where does Katelyn sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Katelyn most popular? ▼
Where is Katelyn most popular? ▼
How long has the name Katelyn been used? ▼
What names are similar to Katelyn? ▼
What to do with Katelyn's data
- Katelyn's decade-level peak was the 1990s (52,811 total births); usage has since declined to 1,931 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Katelyns (13,193 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 Katelyn
Nearby Names Like Katelyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Katelyn
Compare Katelyn side by side: Katelyn vs Kathleen Katelyn vs Katherine Katelyn vs Kathryn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Katelyn
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Katelyn: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1993)
Similar record span (~55 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, 1970–2025 (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 Katelyn 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.