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.

#927
among girls today
134,049
born since 1970
1990s
peak decade
95%
more common than other girls

Katelyn currently ranks #927 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 #927 nationally and more common than 95% 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.

  • #927 among girls today
  • 134,049 born since 1970
  • 1990s peak decade
  • 95% more common than other girls

Data updated Jun 2026

The verdict

Katelyn is currently the #927 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 134,049 born since 1970, peaking in the 1990s.

#927
among girls today
134,049
born since 1970
1990s
peak decade
95%
more common than other girls

Katelyn vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings

0%100%Median name50%94.7%
Katelyn vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#927
of 17,726 girls in use

More common than 95% of names given to girls today.

1990s
Peak decade

39% of everyone ever named Katelyn was born in this single decade.

1993
Single peak year

5,975 babies were named Katelyn in 1993 - its busiest year on record.

How Katelyn compares

134,049 Top 2% higher than 98% 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

Katelyn's all-time total is 351x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Katelyn Median girls name (Emerly) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 134,049 382 567,345
Peak-year births 5,975 48 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 at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

134,049

Since 1970

56 years of records

Peak year

1993

5,975 births that year

Strongest decade: 1990s

Current rank

#927

Among girls

As of 2025

Active since

1970

Recorded for 56 years

Last year on file: 2025

Katelyn popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1970–2025

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1993)
5,975
Annual births at peak, across 56 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,0008,000 197019771984199119982005201220192025 225

Katelyn popularity over time - boys

157 total births recorded since 1986 (Katelyn as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 157 births
0102030 1986198919941999200420112013 5

Katelyn by decade

Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance

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

births

What this shows Peak: 1990s at 52,811 births (39% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of June 2026

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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Katelyn vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 406080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year Katelyn
Katelyn vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Katelyn by state

Where Katelyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1970

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Katelyn
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%
California share of Katelyn's total US births 9.8%
Even split

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?
Since 1970, Social Security records show 134,049 babies named Katelyn. Today it holds rank #927 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1993, with 5,975 births.
When was Katelyn most popular?
Katelyn was most popular in the 1990s decade with 52,811 total births. The single peak year was 1993.
Where is Katelyn most popular?
The top states for the name Katelyn are California (13,193 births), Texas (9,306 births), Pennsylvania (6,485 births).
How long has the name Katelyn been used?
Katelyn has been recorded in Social Security data since 1970, spanning 56 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Katelyn?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kathleen, Katherine, Kathryn, Kathy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

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
  • 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.

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, 1970–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Cite this page

NameAlmanac Editorial. "Katelyn: #927 Girls' Name - 134,049 Births, Peak 1993." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/katelyn. 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 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 June 2026.