Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Kaitlin

Kaitlin is borne from the many Americanized spelling variations of Caitlín, which is the Irish equivalent of Catherine and generally pronounced “cotch-leen” in the mother tongue (but most other English speakers pronounce it KATE-lin). The name was brought to the British Isles in the Middle Ages by way of the Norman French name Cateline. The Catherine family of names all derives from the Greek “Aikaterinë” (see Catherine) which translates to “pure one, clear, innocent.” The name Catherine was borne by an early saint who was martyred in Egypt and came to be associated with ideals of courage and purity, qualities that were attractive to the Celts. In Ireland, the Celtic version, Caitlín, proved popular and gave rise to the anglicized version of Kathleen in England (given the similar pronunciations). The Irish legend of the Countess of Cathleen was put to pen by William Butler Yeats in 1892. During a terrible famine in Ireland the beautiful and fair-haired young countess offered her soul to the devil in exchange for food for the starving. Upon her death, the devil came to collect his due, but God interceded so Cathleen could go straight to heaven, so impressed was He that she would not only sacrifice her life, but her very salvation, for others. 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 modernized spellings of this old Irish lass so the traditional spelling of Caitlín is not ranked very high. But it does rank higher than Kaitlin with a “K”.

All About the Baby Name – Kaitlin

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME KAITLIN

The number Four personality is marked by stability and discipline. This is the personality that follows the rules and is conservative by nature.  They have an earth-bound energy that prefers to build things methodically on top of firm foundations; they don't cut corners. Fours take their time and don't like to be hurried. But the outcome of their endeavors is likely to result in some strong and useful structure, which makes them great engineers and inventors. Fours are anything but frivolous or controversial. This is a trustworthy, straight-forward personality that embodies dedication and organization. They are the backbone and anchor in their relationships, careers and communities. They are tidy, punctual, and full of integrity. Hard-work comes naturally to a Four and they are immensely reliable. This is the personality you can always count on.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME KAITLIN

The spelling variation of Kaitlin first appeared in 1981 (Caitlin came on board in 1975). The usage of the “Caitlin” names has been spurred on by an interest in Irish/Gaelic or Celtic sounding given names. Once the name took hold in the United States, parents began to alter the spelling. Now there are seven different options in order of popular usage: Kaitlyn, Katelyn, Caitlyn, Katelynn, Caitlin, Kaitlynn and Kaitlin. We hate to tell you (or maybe you’re thrilled to hear), this particular spelling of Kaitlin is currently the least frequently used of the seven. In any case, when a name has this many respellings it becomes a high risk cliché. You can see on Kaitlin’s chart below that she experienced a fair amount of success in the late 1980s and early 90s, but she has now dropped down to levels of infrequent usage. Don’t get us wrong. The Kaitlyn/Katelyn name is still quite popular in its collective usage. It’s just that all the spelling variations come dangerously close to cheapening the name. Caitlin is the true Irish spelling and Kathleen might be an alternative if you, like us, feel that old Kailin may be close to jumping the shark.

Quick Facts

ON KAITLIN

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

837

PRONUNCIATION:

KATE-lin

SIMPLE MEANING:

Pure one, innocent

Characteristics

OF KAITLIN

Dependable

Solid

Practical

Hard-working

Industrious

Studious

Conservative

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Kaitlin

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME KAITLIN

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Kaitlin

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME KAITLIN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Kaitlin


Popular Songs

ON KAITLIN

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Kaitlin


Famous People

NAMED KAITLIN

Kaitlin Hopkins (actress)
Kaitlin Olson (actress)

Children of Famous People

NAMED KAITLIN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Kaitlin

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME KAITLIN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Kaitlin