Katelyn

Katelyn is an American phonetic respelling of the traditional Irish girl’s name, Caitlín, which is the Celtic equivalent of Catherine. The name was brought to the British Isles in the Middle Ages by way of the Norman French version, Cateline. The Catherine family of names all derives from the Greek “Aikaterinë” (see Catherine) which translates to “pure one, clear, innocent.” The name was borne by an early saint who was martyred in Egypt and came to be associated with courage and purity, qualities that were attractive to the Celts. In Ireland, the Celtic version, Caitlín, proved popular and gave rise to the anglicized versions of K/Cathleen in England. The Irish legend of the Countess of Cathleen was put to pen by William Butler Yeats in 1892. Story goes that during a famine, 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.