Caitlin
Female nameIrish
✨ Meaning
Caitlin is the Irish form of Cateline, the Old French version of Katherine, whose Greek root Aikaterine has an uncertain meaning that later became associated with 'katharos,' meaning pure. The chain of borrowings is long, and the pure gloss is a medieval reinterpretation rather than a true etymology, so the honest reading is that the meaning is unresolved but the name has carried purity as a sense for many centuries.
🌍 Origin
In Irish the name is pronounced roughly KOYT-leen, but English speakers reading the spelling produced KATE-lin, and that anglicised sound became one of the most popular girls' names in the United States, Britain and Australia in the 1980s and 1990s. The gap between the Irish and English pronunciations is one of the best-known examples of a name changing sound in transit.
📈 Popularity Trend
⭐ Famous People Named Caitlin
- Caitlin Clark
- Caitlin Moran
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does Caitlin mean?
Caitlin descends from Katherine, whose Greek root has an uncertain meaning later associated with 'katharos,' pure.
How is Caitlin pronounced in Irish?
In Irish it is roughly KOYT-leen. The familiar KATE-lin pronunciation is an English reading of the Irish spelling.
What are the other spellings of Caitlin?
Katelyn, Kaitlyn, Caitlyn and Katelynn all reflect the anglicised pronunciation rather than the Irish original.