Cailin
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- KAY-lin
- Origin
- Irish
- US rank, 2025
- #11,928 for girls
Cailin is a name of Irish origin, meaning “girl”. In 2025 it ranked 11,928th for girls in the US (7 babies).
What does Cailin mean?
Irish: Irish word cailín
“girl”
From the Irish word cailín 'girl', the source of the English word colleen.
Is Cailin a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Cailin has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 7 girls in the US.
How popular is Cailin in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2013, with 4 boys.
Cailin in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | #6,413 |
| 2021 | 1 | #6,364 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 1 | #6,277 |
| 2017 | 1 | #6,312 |
| 2016 | 2 | #6,340 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 2 | #6,114 |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,008 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 1 | #6,218 |
| 2010 | 1 | #6,148 |
| 2009 | 2 | #5,967 |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 2 | #5,689 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 1 | #4,018 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 1 | #3,857 |
How popular is Cailin in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #11,928among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 7about 1 in 230,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling fastdown 69% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 7 girls in the US were named Cailin, making it the 11,928th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,546th. Its busiest year was 2003, with 164 girls. It first appears in the records in 1968.
2025 had fewer girls named Cailin than any year since 1977.
Half of all the girls named Cailin in the US since 1880 were born between 1995 and 2008, the years shaded on the chart below.
Cailin in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #11,928 |
| 2024 | 14 | #7,590 |
| 2023 | 11 | #8,984 |
| 2022 | 26 | #5,025 |
| 2021 | 20 | #5,951 |
| 2020 | 42 | #3,546 |
| 2019 | 29 | #4,652 |
| 2018 | 33 | #4,236 |
| 2017 | 29 | #4,693 |
| 2016 | 24 | #5,444 |
| 2015 | 50 | #3,254 |
| 2014 | 60 | #2,841 |
| 2013 | 65 | #2,680 |
| 2012 | 81 | #2,315 |
| 2011 | 100 | #1,968 |
| 2010 | 133 | #1,621 |
| 2009 | 115 | #1,848 |
| 2008 | 137 | #1,642 |
| 2007 | 137 | #1,621 |
| 2006 | 132 | #1,615 |
| 2005 | 144 | #1,466 |
| 2004 | 147 | #1,412 |
| 2003 | 164 | #1,271 |
| 2002 | 153 | #1,281 |
| 2001 | 146 | #1,310 |
| 2000 | 150 | #1,286 |
| 1999 | 131 | #1,347 |
| 1998 | 162 | #1,159 |
| 1997 | 143 | #1,240 |
| 1996 | 123 | #1,366 |
| 1995 | 127 | #1,303 |
| 1994 | 129 | #1,309 |
| 1993 | 75 | #1,878 |
| 1992 | 56 | #2,313 |
| 1991 | 62 | #2,130 |
| 1990 | 71 | #1,934 |
| 1989 | 59 | #2,091 |
| 1988 | 59 | #2,007 |
| 1987 | 64 | #1,811 |
| 1986 | 40 | #2,469 |
| 1985 | 39 | #2,483 |
| 1984 | 47 | #2,110 |
| 1983 | 44 | #2,197 |
| 1982 | 35 | #2,645 |
| 1981 | 17 | #4,343 |
| 1980 | 19 | #3,991 |
| 1979 | 11 | #5,750 |
| 1978 | 12 | #5,214 |
| 1977 | 7 | #7,565 |
| 1976 | 8 | #6,609 |
| 1975 | 9 | #5,982 |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 6 | #7,433 |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 9 | #4,778 |
Names like Cailin
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Teagan Devyn Brynn Cassidy Reagan Keegan Ashlyn Regan Kaitlyn Ryan Codi Callan
Names related to Cailin
Cillian Cailean Cailan Cailen Calin Cailyn Cailynn Kailin Cailani Chailyn
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Ronan Connor Declan Casey Kennedy
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cailin: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cailin, updated 20 October 2026.