Kaitlynn

Kaitlynn is one of six different Americanized respellings of the Irish female name Caitlín, itself the Irish equivalent of Catherine (the Gaelic pronunciation of Caitlín is actually “cotch-leen”). After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the Norman French brought the name Cateline to the British Isles where it was eventually developed into Katherine in England and Caitlín in Ireland. The Catherine family of names is all derived from the Greek “Aikaterinë” which translates to “pure one, clear, innocent” (see the Catherine name page for more detail). Catherine of Alexandria was a famous early 4th century saint martyred in Alexandria, Egypt for her Christian beliefs. In the later Middle Ages, exaggerated legends and cults grew up around these early saints and spread throughout Europe. Medieval parents would name their children after such illustrious saints as a protective measure. Catherine of Alexandria was especially associated with ideals of courage and purity and such qualities were attractive to the Celtic people. In Ireland, the Celtic version, Caitlín, proved popular and gave rise to the anglicized version of Kathleen in England. Caitlín (sometimes without the accent mark) is currently very popular in Northern Ireland and Scotland, but it is also a Top 75 favorite girl’s name in England, Wales, Australia and Ireland. In the United States, Americans prefer the modernized spellings of this old Irish female name so the traditional spelling of Caitlín is not ranked very high. Kaitlyn and Katelyn tend to be the preferred spellings in America. Kaitlynn with two “n”s is much less popular.