Girls' name · since 1897
Kathlyn
Since 1897, U.S. Social Security records show 5,156 babies named Kathlyn, peaking in 1951. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2,521 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,769 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,156
- born since 1897
- 1950s
- peak decade
Kathlyn currently ranks #4769 among girls' names in America, with 5,156 babies recorded since 1897.
Social Security Administration records show Kathlyn recorded 5,156 times among girls since 1897, holding rank #4769 nationally today, ahead of 72% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1897 to 2025.
- #2,521 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,769 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 5,156 born since 1897
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kathlyn ranks #2,521 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,769 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 5,156 born since 1897, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2,521 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,769 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,156
- born since 1897
- 1950s
- peak decade
Kathlyn's 5,156 recorded births place it above 96.51% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
22 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kathlyn compares
5,156 Top 14% higher than 86% 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
Kathlyn's all-time total is 14x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kathlyn | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,156 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 125 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kathlyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kathlyn's full recorded timeline at 1962, 39% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 61% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1897, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1951 peak of 125 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kathlyn popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1897–2025
- Peak year (1951)
- 125
- Annual births at peak, across 129 years of records
Kathlyn by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (851 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Kathlyn's strongest decade.
851 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Kathlyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 20
1890s
20 births
- 1900s 76
1900s
76 births
- 1910s
1910s
565 births
- 1920s
1920s
512 births
- 1930s 268
1930s
268 births
- 1940s
1940s
728 births
- 1950s
1950s
851 births
- 1960s
1960s
382 births
- 1970s 223
1970s
223 births
- 1980s
1980s
382 births
- 1990s
1990s
489 births
- 2000s
2000s
383 births
- 2010s 152
2010s
152 births
- 2020s 125
2020s
125 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 851 births (17% of all-time use).
How Kathlyn 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 Kathlyn's total volume
Kathlyn by state
Where Kathlyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1897
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 362 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 237 | 4.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 203 | 3.9% |
| #4 | New York | | 144 | 2.8% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 132 | 2.6% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 89 | 1.7% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 47 | 0.9% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 42 | 0.8% |
362 of 5,156 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 22 reporting states.
Kathlyn appears in 22 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kathlyn? ▼
Where does Kathlyn sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kathlyn most popular? ▼
Where is Kathlyn most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kathlyn been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kathlyn? ▼
What to do with Kathlyn's data
- Kathlyn's decade-level peak was the 1950s (851 total births); usage has since declined to 125 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kathlyns (362 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 Kathlyn
Nearby Names Like Kathlyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kathlyn
Compare Kathlyn side by side: Kathlyn vs Kathleen Kathlyn vs Katherine Kathlyn vs Kathryn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kathlyn
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kathlyn: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1951)
Similar record span (~128 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, 1897–2025 (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 Kathlyn 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.